Welcome to Reefside
by justcasual2u
Summary: Settling in Reefside is just what Kim expected: quiet, peaceful, and hectic, thanks to her parents dumping her younger brother in her care -the care of his responsible older sister. Things couldn't possibly get any worse. Right? ...KEEP WRITING? ADVICE?
1. Day One

Disclaimer: It's really simple. I don't own them. I only own Antonio.

**A/N: To those of you who started reading Heartfelt Reunion. I'm incredibly sorry. A random system recovery occurred one day and erased the upcoming chapters for it, along with some other stories I planned on submitting for review. I still don't know if I'm going to finish it yet. I've kind of lost the heart. But here's another story I salvaged from the heaps. Enjoy!**

CH 1: Day One

"Welcome to Reefside High school Ms. Hart," Elise Randall said warmly while leading her companion around the school.

"Thank you. This job is exactly what I was looking for."

Elise raised a brow, turning around to face Kimberly. "Really? A highly prestigious archaeologist such as yourself would really turn down trips to Italy and Spain for a mere teaching job with little pay and a bunch of rowdy and did I mention horny teenagers?"

Kim laughed. "I really don't mind and besides most excavations go really slow. It requires patience and extreme amounts of time. You just can't dig in."

Elise nodded. "I understand. It's much like teaching."

Kim bobbed her head. "Sort of. However you can't take care of a rowdy _and did I mention horny _seventeen year old brother traveling the globe, having him constantly complain about never seeing any of his friends."

"So it's a win-win situation," Elise interjected.

"There is nothing winning about it. It's literally a nightmare."

The school bell rang commissioning the start of school. Elise smirked at Kim.

"I'll have to see this young brother of yours."

Students filed in, crowding the hallways.

"Perhaps you will. He's prone to trouble."

Students walked around them to get to their lockers and homerooms.

"Well, then. Have a nice day and don't forget you're an archaeologist. You can back out at anytime you want."

Kim smiled. "Thanks."

Elise smiled walking over to a group of freshmen. "Hey!"

Kim jumped at the other brunette's screechy voice as she scolded the teens. _Well, here you are Kim. Are you ready?_

* * *

Entering her class room, she turned to face her students. "Hola! Como Estás? For those of you taking Spanish first period, you have come to the wrong class."

She received some laughter in response as four kids, embarrassedly stood to exit the class.

An amused look came on her face at the reaction. She walked towards the front of the class, examining her students' faces. "You guys look so gloomy. Cheer up! This is History! You should all be jumping and crying for joy. Yay!" She pumped her fists for extra emphasis as her students stared dully back at her. _Okay Kim, you're making a fool of yourself. You have to get them interested or else lose them to the coziness of those hypnotic wooden desks. _

"Alright, so you want to play hard to get," she muttered softly, looking at them intensely. One of her students was already nodding off while some of them played with their cell phones and mp3 players. Contemplating softly, she realized she turned down Paris for this. And what was so sad about it was that it was her first class of the day.

"Okay! Headphones, cell phones, ipods, Mp3 players -everything off!"

They obediently did as they were told. _You've got their attention, now what else?_

"So this is a history class- First period History to be exact -and I'm your teacher… Well, even a history teacher has to have a name. My name is Ms. Hart and I'm an archaeologist. And first and foremost respect me and I'll respect you, okay. I get the feeling some of you haven't had any luck with history and I'm here to change that. After all history can be pretty boring." A few hands went up, wildly. Notably most of the hands belonged to the boys.

"No questions yet. I need to know your names." Picking up a clipboard she nodded. She took her hand and placed it over her heart. "See. Me, Ms. Hart. You?" She pointed to a boy clad in red and expensive vintage looking jeans. His hair was a bit shaggy as he smiled cockily. _Definitely a jock._

"Connor. Connor McKnight." Excited noises came from some girls in the classroom as he spoke.

"What do you do, Mr. McKnight? Brain Bowl? Computer Club? It's senior year, there's got to be something."

He nodded. "Me? I'm the guy who's going to take the Reefside Sharks' to the nationals."

"Well, Mr. McKnight's a guy who's sure of himself. Haven't we had many assured men like him around?"

He frowned suddenly. "Is that a bad thing?"

She smirked. "Depends. Are you a bad or manipulative person? Incredibly ambitious with no set morals? Have bad intentions? Completely shortsighted?"

"N-no." He was completely thrown off by her remarks and slightly scared.

"Good! Then I guess you have nothing to worry about… Connor, is it?"

He nodded, sitting back in his seat. "Yeah."

"Since we are on the subject of sports. Ms. Hart, your first name wouldn't happen to be Kimberly as in the Pan Global gold medalist. Now would it?"

Kimberly was impressed but unmoved by the blonde girl's nosy inquiry. "And you are?"

"Cassidy! Cassidy Cornell, reporter for Reefside's News Column!"

Kim appeared to be deep in thought. "I'm not sure, would it?"

The class groaned in her let down, awaiting some exciting new thing to gossip about.

A black haired kid wearing stylish glasses raised his hand. She called on him.

"At least someone remembered to raise their hand," she called over the uproar of questions. "Yes?"

"My name is Trent Fernandez and I was wondering what happened to our other history teacher, Mr. Rosenbaum?"

The class awaited her answer silently.

"Um…" She shook her head, unsure of how to reply.

"Is he dead?" One of them asked.

"Uh, no. -I don't know. I just kind of got hired. Well, transferred. I don't know anything about the staff here or my predecessor. Sorry. Maybe you can ask the principal?"

They all averted their eyes and an awkward silence fell over them.

"What? What's wrong? Is she like evil or something? I mean, she can't be _that_ bad."

"Uh, you obviously haven't been here for long. Last year she and Dr. O got in a fight on the school lawn. The whole school practically saw it. Rumors are was that she was abducted by Mesogog and brainwashed into being one of his henchmen," a red-haired nerdy kid wearing huge framed geeky glasses informed.

"_Really?"_

"Oh, Josh. Joshua Tipenhower."

She noticed how some of the class snickered or rolled their eyes. "Okay, getting back to the introductions. You, there in the blue. Name, what you're into, and a small synopsis of your Christmas break."

The dark-skinned kid looked up, looking somewhat reserved. "Oh. You mean me. I'm Ethan James and I'm the president of the Computer Club. Over Christmas break I just chilled."

Kim tilted her head, trying to give him an edge. "That all? You sure?"

He nodded. "Unless you count Dr.-"

"Hmm? Ethan were you going to say something else?"

He shook his head. "Uh no."

She caught Connor and Trent and a girl clad in yellow glaring at him. She watched them closely recognizing a familiar vibe between them but shrugged it off. They caught her and instantly looked away, guilty. Kim turned to some others who voluntarily began to introduce themselves. The girl in yellow scanned Kimberly almost too close for comfort for the remainder of the class.

The bell sounded and Kim groaned a little. "Well, it looks like we're out of time. And I was just getting to know you guys so well! Oh well. We'll finish up tomorrow and go over the syllabus. No homework tonight. See you tomorrow."

* * *

They exited the room and headed to their next class. Kira glanced back towards the room. "Hey, you okay?" Trent asked following her gaze.

She nodded. "Yeah. It's just… Nothing."

"You sure?" Connor asked, entering in the conversation.

She turned to them as they formed a near circle in the hall. "Guys is it just me or does Ms. Hart look familiar?"

Ethan took in what she said and mused. "A little. Cassidy thinks she's a renowned gymnast. If she is maybe you spotted her on TV or something. I can check it out if you want."

Kira shook her head. "No it's alright. Just a feeling I had."

They continued walking to their separate classes.

They had all settled into their seats somewhat quietly. He began listing kids off from the roll and they silenced, responding to their names.

"Jesse McCoughnahan?"

America Gonzalez spoke up. "Dr. O, he's still in New York. Remember, he got all the teachers to sign that pre-excuse."

"Right! Forgot… Okay class, moving on, let's talk about-"

The door creaked open and a dark-haired teenage boy donned in a black leather jacket, worn jeans, a white shirt and black pf flyers entered in. He looked like a Beatnik.

"Dr. Oliver, right?"

Tommy nodded, shifting his glasses. "Can I help you?"

The class all turned to face the newcomer.

"Yeah, sure." The kid came over and shook his hand. "You're my new science teacher." He handed Tommy a piece of paper.

The kid stood while Tommy read over it.

"It says here that you're from Ohio."

"Among other places. My family's a bit dysfunctional so we travel a lot." Murmuring began in the background about the new student.

Tommy searched the paper coming up empty. "You got a name?"

"Yeah, Antonio." A smirk appeared on his face.

"Antonio what?"

"Antonio Myers-Hart."

"Interesting," Cassidy mumbled to herself. She turned to Devon who was seated opposite of her. "Devon don't you find it a little odd that on the same day we get a teacher and a student both with the last name Hart."

Devon nodded. "Yeah but his name is Myers-Hart. Ms. Hart's name is well… Hart."

She turned back around in her seat and silently chewed on the back of her pen. "He is kind of cute. Wonder if he'd willingly do an interview for an article in the paper?" Devon shrugged, kind of disliking the kid in hearing that she found him attractive.

"Well, take a seat. We were just getting started on-"

"Hey, are you by any chance related to Ms. Hart, the new history teacher?"

Tommy sighed. Cassidy's impulse to just shout random questions was beyond annoying and disturbing. "Cassidy,-"

"Myers-Hart, not Hart."

"Oh, sorry," she fibbed.

"It's okay."

"Well, I hear she is possibly Kimberly Hart, the Pan Global gold medalist. That would be interesting to have a relative by that name, now would it?"

Tommy quieted, beginning to dislodge from reality at the announcement of her name.

Antonio just shrugged. "I don't know." He went to go take a seat in the back.

"Hey." Someone tapped him gently on his shoulder. He turned to see a brunette with blonde highlights extending her hand. "I'm Kira. I'm sorry she- you, know. She's really into this journalist business."

"No, it's fine. I kind of guessed. …Antonio."

"I know," she said, smirking.

"I bet you would," he laughed softly. "Nice meeting you Kira."

"Same here."

Dr. Oliver snapped back realizing what he had been doing and resumed teaching the class. _If she is who I think she is, Tommy you're in for a lot._


	2. Day One Point Five

**Disclaimer: Again, I don't own them, just Antonio and a couple of students.**

**AU: Just to clarify things a bit. This takes place after the rangers have lost their powers. They don't have any of their powers... yet.**

* * *

Kim walked into the empty hallway after locking up for the day. _Reefside's not so bad. Small but not too small for reasons I'm not quite ready to address but all the while quaint and relaxing. I wonder if I'll run into him… I'm not ready for it. I might end up screaming at him or doing something entirely immature. Kim, forget about him. After all he forgot about you._

Coming outside, the sun rested warmly on her cheeks and the ocean breeze that had traveled some fifteen miles brushed her hair back softly. She smiled. _Yeah, this is just perfect._

* * *

Nestled warmly inside Hayley's Cyberspace, they applauded Kira as she came from the stage. She gave an exhilarated grin. "I am so ready for this album to come out." 

Tommy nodded while Trent spoke up. "Aren't you afraid it'll take too much time out of your schedule? I mean this _is_ senior year."

Kira looked at him somewhat unsurely before shaking her head softly. "No. Not really."

His gaze averted to a red-head behind her and her heart broke. She remembered their talk on just being friends and she raised her hand to her head to shake her hair from its ponytail. _Just give it up Kira. He was just too perfect for you._

She took a seat at their table taking a sip from her apple juice. "Hey so how about our new history teacher? What do you guys think of her?"

Connor grinned. "She's the hottest history teacher I've ever had, I'll tell you that's for sure." Ethan slapped Conner's outstretched hand on the sly.

Kira rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I think she's really nice. She said she used to be an archaeologist which I thought was interesting since you, Dr. O, used to be a paleontologist."

His eyes became slightly distant. "I haven't met her yet. I plan to though." His eyes shifted to Hayley's. "Just to lay claim to some of the speculation." He glanced at his watch before downing the rest of his coffee. "That reminds me. I need to get home and type up your quizzes on Population Dynamics."

They groaned while he smiled evilly. Hayley shook her head.

"Dr. O you have no life. I mean you do things to irritate us just because you have nothing else to do," Kira complained.

"Yeah. Dr. O, I hate to say this but you need to get yourself a girlfriend," Ethan commented.

"Hey! Who says I haven't got one?" He said defensively as they all stared at him defiantly.

"Dr. O, _please_. It's common knowledge especially with the female staff at our school that you're single. And let me emphasize "female staff." I even heard Ms. Kimensky comment on a part of you that I feel entitled not to repeat," Kira said tinged with disgust.

"Ew, that woman is like eighty. Man, that's gross," Ethan griped.

Trent smiled. "Hey, age is nothing but a number."

Connor broke down into laughter.

Tommy chuckled but his eyes spoke volumes in astonishment and objectivity. "Let's change the conversation."

"Please," Hayley added, a little shocked herself.

Kira was the first to jump at the opportunity. "Okay, so there is this new guy at our school," she raised.

"Wow, it seems Reefside is getting a lot of new people," Hayley remarked.

Kira swallowed down some more of her drink, nodding. "Yeah, that's exactly how I feel."

Ethan snorted. "Yeah, right. Kira has been talking nonstop about the guy ever since third period. And let me inform you that she just met the guy in second period."

"Oh, Kira has a crush." Connor nudged her with his elbow before getting slapped on the arm by her.

"I do not! Well, he isn't all that bad looking but- He's a nice guy. Is it a crime for me to notice that?"

Trent didn't comment but Connor laughed, extending his arm that lay bulkily on the table. "No- unless you plan to stalk him."

"Yeah and then there'll be harassment issues to think about after that," Ethan added while Trent made a point of trying to hold in his laughter.

Kira groaned. "You guys might as well be the Three Stooges. You're impossible."

She turned to Tommy and Hayley. "He's new which means he need friends, and all I'm doing is suggesting- ugh, never mind."

"No, Kira I think you're right in thinking that," Tommy responded. "I was new to Angel Grove before I joined the team."

Hayley's smile broadened. "Kira I agree. I think that was sweet of you to think that. We can't help it if these guys are a little immature."

"A little!" Kira said exasperated. "How about a lot!" Kira looked up at the clock. "Oh, I have to go. Tonight's Seafood night. You know the female parental unit." With that she left.

"Oh, I have to get going too if I plan to ace tomorrow's quiz," Trent said, getting up. Connor and Ethan stared at each other before following the others.

Hayley sat down opposite Tommy. "So… Dr. Oliver how are you today?"

He let down his science teacher façade and sighed, raking his hands through his short brunette spikes. "The new history teacher, I think it may be her. And if it is…"

"If it is, then what? Will you explain? I think she more than anything deserves an explanation Tommy and I'm not just saying this because I'm a woman and I'm biased. I'm saying it because it's true."

"Do you think she'd listen to what I have to say after I did what I did?" He asked genuinely. He looked up to see her nod. "I mean at the time it seemed like a pretty good idea because I was protecting her and I didn't want her involved but in the end I was doing the same thing she did by sending the letter. I hurt her, I know I did. I forgave her for her naiveté as a teenager but we're now adults and my actions should have been more considerate to her."

"Why don't you tell her what you're telling me?" Hayley touched his hand gently. "Tommy if she loves you then I'm sure she'll understand."

His eyes were downcast. "Yeah…"


	3. New Days, New Possibilities

**Disclaimer: I think you get it by now. **

**Next Day**

She groggily opened her eyes as the scent of something burning wafted into her nostrils. Rolling over, she planned to wave it off until the image of her irresponsible younger brother popped in her brain. Her eyes widened and she threw the ivory cotton covers back and ran down the hall, heading for the stairs. "Antonio!"

Reaching the kitchen she saw him with a fire extinguisher smothering the small fire with the chilling white froth. She sighed as he gave her a sheepish grin. "Hungry?"

She walked over and pushed him out of the way as she grabbed the pan and a nearby fork and began scraping the burned egg into the trashcan. She handed him the pan and gave him a direct stare. "Wash." Opening one of the many wooden cabinets she took out another pan, preparing to cook breakfast.

He did what he was told and smiled at her. "Hey, if I knew you'd do that I would have done it every morning."

She cast him an annoyed glare. "Tonio, don't start. Last night I only got three hours of sleep."

He shrugged. "What do you want me to do? Hey, it's not my fault you decided to move here and take up teaching. Dad, had an offer too you know."

She kept from yelling or rolling her eyes, keeping her attention on the sizzling egg. "I'm not a child anymore. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Dad- Your father need to realize that and yes, Antonio it is your fault. If you would have just listened and followed the rules, Dad and Marshall would have never sent you to me."

He looked down for a moment, ashamed. She sighed. "You're a handful, Tonio. You really are and what makes it worse is that you're almost legal and you still don't have a complete sense of what's right and what's wrong."

He shrugged it off, leaning against the counter. "I can't take back what I did and to tell you the truth I'm really not all that sorry. The guy was blackmailing me."

Kim groaned and hit her head with the back of her hand. "See, that's exactly what I mean. Just because he was doing something wrong, it's okay for you to do something wrong as well. What about turning the other cheek don't you get? Did you ever pay attention to dad?"

"Yeah, I did but just because I listened doesn't mean I agreed. Besides Kim, look at you, you turned out well-"

"Don't do that. Antonio you aren't me and you're not Marshall. You're your own person and you're practically a man. You shouldn't make excuses for your behavior."

"And I'm not. I'm just saying that I shouldn't be punished for trying to survive high school. The man was my principal and he fucked up my attendance."

A small smile began creeping its way to Kim's lips. "Hmm-hm. Hey get me that batch of pancake mix out the fridge."

He opened the large silver refrigerator in search of the batter, still talking. "Kim, you know how passionate I get when it comes to sports."

"Yeah, I do. Thanks," she said taking the small Tupperware bowl from him. "I still remember that time you cried because mom and I beat you and dad in that game of football."

"_Kim!_ You promised you would never bring that up again." She shrugged, grinning wide. "Anyway that asshole always had it out against me just because I caught him kissing Ms. Longbottom."

"She's the librarian, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I told him I wouldn't tell. I just can't believe he had the nerve to try and mess with my transcript."

"Here," she said, handing him a hefty plate. He took it and immediately began eating off of it. "Don't I get a thank you or a "Thanks sis, you're the best."

He nodded and she crossed her arms expectant. "Thanks sis, you're the best!" he exclaimed in melodrama.

"You're a little ass-swiper," she said leaving the room. Heading back up the stairs towards her room, she heard, "Yeah, I hear it runs in the family!"

She shook her head entering her somewhat luxurious room. Once inside, she stared longingly at her huge bed with its high thread count Egyptian linen and its big, smooth satin silk covers. "Twenty minutes left till I actually have to be there. Fifteen minutes won't hurt," she said to herself, glancing at her alarm clock. She brushed the feeling aside and headed into her room's adjoining bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

He crashed down into his chair, taking a large sip of coffee. This was one of the rare days he showed up early. _Real nice, Tommy. You thought you could 'bump' into her and start things over. _He stretched, cracking and popping noises responding loudly to the action. "No, I just happened to wake up early so I could tantalize myself," he muttered, picking up a manila folder with that day's quizzes. "Because I love doing that." 

His room's door opened and a pretty blonde with grey came through. "Uh, hi, I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Cause if I am, I can just come back later," she said kindly.

He looked up at her somewhat embarrassed and partly confused. "Uh… no!" He exclaimed a bit too vigorously, as seen by her jumpiness. "I was just uh, I was… Can I help you?"

She nodded, closing the door. "Yeah, I was wondering if I could get some of your coffee," she asked pointing to his steaming coffee pot on the room's back counter. "That is if you don't mind."

He shook his head lightly and stood up. "No, I don't mind at all. Go ahead and help yourself."

She giggled softly. "Thank you," she said hurrying over to the pot. "I was so scared to ask any of the other teachers. They seem to get a little protective, and you've been so nice to me since I've got here. So I figured I'd ask you."

He returned her beaming smile with a small but genuine one.

"It's just Principal Randall seems really annoyed when she sees that there are microwaves, fridges, or coffee pots in the room. And I don't yet have tenure so I normally buy coffee from Hayley's or do without. But last night was really long, I had to stay up and grade some make-up quizzes. I hate it when students miss the assigned quiz/ test days. It's just irritating."

He nodded, drinking some of his coffee. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Most times I don't even allow for make up days unless there's a doctor's notice."

She stared at him in awe. "Really? And they listen?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I figured it out during the third week into the second half of my first semester here. Since then, there have hardly been any absences in my classes."

"Wow, I wish someone had told me that earlier."

He chuckled lightly. "Don't we all."

She took a sip from her small styrofoam cup. Swallowing she took him in silently. _Damn, he's so beautiful. And charming too._ She opened her mouth to say something else but the bell rang.

He noticed her reluctant sigh. "Don't worry, if they tire you out, you can always look for little ways to get back at them. Like pop quizzes you make them grade, that way they suffer and you don't have to grade it later."

She laughed. "Wow, you are so helpful. Is it okay if I like come back around later and write this stuff down? I bet if you sold this stuff you'd be rich and wouldn't have to teach."

He shrugged. "I kind of like teaching but I wouldn't mind the rich part." He returned her cheerful smile.

"I should get going but thanks," she said heading towards the door. Suddenly she stopped and quickly turned around, somehow managing not to spill her newly refilled coffee cup. "Can I come by tomorrow for coffee as well?"

"Sure. Oh and you know Randall, it's all because of the need to have the teacher's lounge used more often."

She nodded. "But she won't chew _your_ head off because _you've_ been here longer. Thanks again." With that she left and his students came pouring in.

"No problem." He adjusted his glasses and smiled to himself, thinking on his first day in Reefside and Kira's comments from the day before. _Yeah, today is going to be interesting, no doubt about that._

* * *

Kim rushed down the hallway to her classroom. _Damn traffic!_ She half expected to see her students waiting fairly narked but she saw no one. _Argh! It couldn't have been ten minutes yet. Stupid ten minute rule. _

Opening the door she was surprised to see all her students seated in their seats, quietly.

"We thought we'd cut you some slack so we ignored the fact that you're some twenty minutes late," Cassidy happily announced.

Kim looked at her watch and then corrected her, "No, only eighteen. Sorry, is the traffic always this bad here."

They smiled and a good number of them shook their heads. "It's still tourist season. Ever since the power rangers came here it's been hectic. It won't wear down until mid-December."

Kim nodded, somewhat dazed. _So I have to lose more sleep. I get it._ "Wait a sec- power rangers? When was this?"

They all stared at her as if she were stupid.

"Excuse me?" Cassidy asked, the first to get over her shock.

"Well, the last I heard of the power rangers was that some were in Turtle Cove but never in Reefside. And then again I haven't been in the country for nearly two years." She groaned. "So exactly how much did I miss? Who was the bad guy? What team was it? When did they retire?"

Suspicion began to take a toll on a better half of the students, especially Kira Ford. _Why is she so comfortable with the idea of rangers? Is that why she seems so familiar? Dr. O's tape! I have got to look at that tape again!_

Joshua Tipenhower stared at her, a little too close for comfort, before speaking. "You talk of the rangers as if it's totally predictable for a new team to show up and then leave." He was defensive and she realized that maybe she shouldn't have said anything at all.

"Well, it makes sense that they would show up when there's trouble and take leave when that trouble is gone. Correct me if I'm wrong. There's like a new team every year- well, you get my drift."

"You're a power ranger hater!" Some girl in the back accused.

Kim shook her head, nearly able to keep in her laughter. "No, not at all. They're the good guys." _Most times. _"What's your name?"

"Dahlia Jameson."

Kim smiled. "Pretty name. Dahlia, I am not a power ranger hater. In fact give me the number of the white morphin' one and I'm good."

Conner sat up. "You had a crush on a power ranger?"

_Crush? More like had. _Kim nodded. "Yeah, I lived in Angel Grove when Rita Repulsa attacked. Almost every girl and woman had some sort of infatuation with the guy rangers. Mine, happened to be the white one. Now let's get back to introductions. Now, you there in the yellow. You look like a rock star."

"More like wannabe," Cassidy muttered to herself. Kim flashed her a 'behave' glare, catching what she said because of her proximity.

"My name's Kira. Kira Ford."

Kim waited, hoping to hear more. "Is that it? What about your hobbies? What do you like to do?"

"Sing," she said quickly and without hesitation.

Kim nodded in satisfaction. "When I was in high school, I sang a bit too. I played acoustic for a youth group at the youth center."

"Really?" Kira asked, now more alert than ever. "That's amazing. I play guitar too!" She abruptly shut up, feeling really stupid. When she got really excited she got all bubbly like a little girl. She could only imagine how stupid she had just made herself look.

Kim only smiled, quickly catching up the girl's uneasiness. For the last twenty minutes she learned all of their names and even touched on all the points of her syllabus with some rushing but nonetheless, she accomplished what she said she'd do. She had also succeeded in doing so with her second class as well. That made her feel good but she was still tired. _Caffeine. I need caffeine or I'm going to crash. _

The students in her second period class were all leaving to go to their third period class when she stopped one of them. "Hey Devon, do you by any chance know where a soda machine might be?"

"You mean pop?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure whatever. Is it located anywhere close to here?"

He opened his mouth and then closed it, smiling and nodding. He pointed at her and nodded again. "Dude… I know just the place. There's one outside nearby the tables by the lunchroom. -The lunch deck."

"Devon thanks and please don't call me dude. I'm a girl."

"Enshallah."

"What?"

"Whatever," he simply stated his eyes slightly widened at the fact she didn't already know this.

"Okay, whatever, now head to class. I don't need any teachers being angry with me for holding one of their students too long."

"Bye, Ms. Hart. See you tomorrow."

"Later." _Now that soda machine. Just two more classes and I'm free. _

* * *

He pointed to the board with his index finger. "S-curve. Anyone care to guess what it might be describing?" 

Antonio raised his hand. "Antonio."

"It shows a population- that's boring. Um, okay, it's antelope and they've grown supernatural running speed that tires the cheetah out. So their populations continues to grow steadily until the cheetahs comeback with a few new superpowers of their own and provide a little negative feedback for them, reducing the growth of the antelope until they are at a stable or near carrying capacity of their environment."

Tommy nodded impressed. "Yeah, that's pretty good. Did they teach you that at your old school?"

"No, I learned it at the high school I went to before that in Florida."

Almost every guy in the class either hated him at that moment or wanted to be his new best friend while a number of the girls inwardly swooned.

"So do you think you did pretty good on the quiz?" Dr. Oliver asked.

Antonio scoffed and smiled. "You're still new at this aren't you? Man, I aced your quiz."

"You're that confident, huh?" Tommy asked, reading into this kid's cockiness as a sign of supposed intimidation. _What's this kid trying to say?_

Antonio shrugged. "I can recommend you to my old science teacher, Mrs. George. The woman was like eighty but she sure knew how to make a boy sweat. Once I got a seventy-nine on her test. It was the highest test score in the class. -I like you Dr. Oliver, you're a respectable man. You want your kids to pass. I like that."

Kira once intrigued by him earlier, watched him askance. She didn't quite like this new level of comfort Antonio was asserting.

"I'm glad you do. However you should know, that that was a quiz and we're hardly through the chapter."

Antonio grinned. "Dr. Oliver have you ever been to Florida?"

He nodded. "Once."

"Really? I took you for a native Floridian. My bad."

"Alright class, I'm going to quickly grade these quizzes and if you keep quiet I won't give you this assignment I have waiting up here." Of course he didn't actually have a spare assignment.

"Really, can I have one?" Antonio asked earnestly. "I like to get things out the way."

Tommy almost hesitated. "Sure, once I finish grading the papers."

"I don't think you actually have an extra assignment."

"Good for you. Let me get these graded and if I see that you're actually what you say you are, I'll give you the assignment. How's that?"

"Mild."

"What?"

"It's cool. I'm good."

"Okay…" He sat down at his desk and went through his spiffy system of grading papers. It should have been rather simple. It was one of his easiest quizzes. All he asked for was for them to fill in the blank and draw graphs andanswer simple one word response questions. Yet he got overachievers who wrote out essays and those who didn't read the directions which stretched his time. He finished just before the bell rang and who would have known: Antonio wasn't lying.

It was time for his break. His planning period had just started and he was free for the moment. Getting up he headed to go get his healthy, balanced, three-sided meal.

Walking down the corridor and outside onto the lush, green grass, he set his small worries aside. For instance he needed to head down to the lab. He hadn't been down there since after his retirement from his fourth color yet. He wanted to hang up his morpher officially and move on with his life. Besides hadn't he sacrificed enough?

He came upon the school's snack and soda machine. Sure there were three other snack machines but neither of them were so close or had the soda machine right next to them. He sighed at the young girl in front of him. "Miss, shouldn't you be in class?"

Her cola fell from her limp grasp and sure enough he caught it. He held it out for her and she ignored him, sticking her hand into her pocket to retrieve some more change.

"Excuse me, but why are you- oh… Nice to see you too Kimberly."

She remained quiet getting her new diet cola. "You live in Reefside," she simply stated trying to keep her anger in check.

"How long have you been out of the country?"

"Do you work here?"

His eyes lowered. His guilt was overwhelming. "Yeah, I- I work here."

"So that explains the rangers."

He looked into her eyes noticing how cold they were toward him amid her expressionless face. "I'm sorry."

She scoffed, opening her drink and taking a long swallow from it. "No you're not." A sadness entered her eyes before she shook it off, tilting her head to keep the wind from blowing her hair into her eyes. "I've seen them. Three boys and a girl? They make four and you make five, Tommy. I tried to tell myself- You know what, I don't want to talk about this. I- I need to go. Keep the drink." She brushed past him, heading toward the other direction.

He sighed and swept his hand through his gelled chocolate, spiked hair. _Yeah, one interesting day alright._

* * *

Walking to her class, the tears leaked uncontrollably. This was something that was thrown at her that she didn't expect. Jason had tricked her- he'd lied to her. _Did he plan on this? The one great job offer I get is in Reefside where my ex happens to be and it also happens to be where he works too. Isn't life just fucked up?_

Entering her classroom, she jumped to find her brother there. "Antonio, what are you doing here? You should be in class."

He only stared back at her. He kept silent for a good five minutes before saying anything. "What happened?"

"Nothing of your concern," she replied, opening her snicker's bar and taking a bite out of it.

"Kim, I haven't seen you cry in years and now you expect me to just act as if nothing's wrong?"

"Yeah, Tonio because it's none of your business. You're not my father, it's time you and Marshall knew that. I don't need protecting, okay. Get off my back."

"It's that Oliver guy, isn't it?"

"What?" She was thrown off for a moment, surprised by her brother's question.

"He's the guy from Florida. Marshall said you knew a Tommy Oliver and that you dated him around the time you had a nervous breakdown. You nearly got disqualified from the competition for the inability to compete and the drugs they were going to make you take."

She wiped the remaining tears from her tear streaked face. "I didn't even think you remembered that."

"Kim I was nine and I was scared because I thought you were going to die. I didn't know what was happening. All I knew is that you were different and you haven't smiled the same ever since."

"I'm sorry I scared you Tonio. I was just really stressed. A lot of things were happening that I wasn't at all prepared to take."

"So you still haven't answered my question-"

"No. Dr. Oliver has nothing to do with my crying. I'm just adjusting that's all. I haven't had my daily dose of caffeine and I'm happy is all. To have my caffeine. I nearly thought I was going to die," she lied. She knew he knew otherwise despite her talent.

"Okay. I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. It's just I can't help it. Dad and Marshall always scope out your boyfriends and it's passed onto me. It bothers me to see you cry."

She cooed. "Aw, you're so sweet."

He showed indifference. "I don't like it. I always think of mom and the divorce and I don't want you to have to suffer like she did. I mean, I love my parents both the same but I've seen her hurt and- I don't know. I see these guys Kim and I know how they are because I'm a guy and I just feel my sister should have the best guy. She shouldn't have to suffer like our mom did."

Kim smiled and hugged him. "Thanks, Ant. I understand but I need to do this alone. You're not going to always be there to help me weed out the losers from the assholes or the jerks from the Mr. Rights. I appreciate the thought, though."

"Yeah." He scratched quickly behind his ear and she could tell that the conversation had gotten too awkward for him. "I'm going to go. My lunch period is almost up. Later Kim."

"Catch ya on the flip side, bro," she called out behind him with a stuffed mouth.


	4. Switch Ups and Trade Offs

**Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. But you already know that.**

**A/N: Enjoy!**

He gently closed the door behind him, walking from the room.

"Hey, you!"

He turned around to see a hallway monitor. _Oh, great. This is just what I need. I've only been here for a day and already I'm targeted for some sort of school discipline._

"Yeah? Do you need something? Can I help you out?"

The blonde kid grinned devilishly and nodded. "Sure, you can. You've just been selected to serve detention this week."

He groaned. _This has got to be some sort of conspiracy! _"What did I do?"

The blonde boy walked over and handed him a pink slip of paper. _How cliché. I get the pink slip. _

"No walking the halls after the bell."

Antonio just stared at him. The boy was good-looking, probably secretly revered by a bunch of girls off the cheerleading squad. His eyes were dark blue which got him to thinking 'Nazi'. A smirk formed on Antonio's face. "I'm afraid I won't be attending this week's detention. I'm new here and this is my second day. I haven't even been given a school handbook." With that Antonio handed the kid back the pink slip of paper and began walking coolly away.

"Hey! You can't do that! I'm the one who decides whether or not you can't serve detention! Come back here! I'm not through with you!"

He laughed softly while pushing the door leading to the school's courtyard. _I guess I made his day. I mean, who wants to be responsible for his own execution. I wonder if I tell Kim to taunt him, if she'd do it. Besides she owes me. Nah, she's too uptight._

"I didn't see you in Ms. Carmichael's class today," said a dulcet voice from behind.

He turned to find a lovely blonde-haired girl with brown eyes awaiting him. "Ah, Nancy Macintyre of fourth period English. To what do I owe the pleasure of our acquaintance?"

She giggled, looking down rather bashfully, contrasting the whole of her revealing outfit. "You're so sweet." Seductively nibbling on her bottom lip, she extended him a handful of papers. "I planned on meeting you later to give you these but since you're here I guess I don't have to."

"Thank you. Nancy Macintyre you will forever be in my gratitude."

She giggled some more, batting her eyes for extra emphasis while Kira walked on over.

"Hey, where were you last period? I really didn't take you for the skipping type."

He shrugged. "I felt sick so I sat in the clinic," he lied, not sure whether to entertain her growing impression of him. _I doubt she'll check into it. _He watched her nod, looking at him questioningly. "But I'm much better now, as you can see. I plan on getting something to eat and taking things slow."

She nodded again. "Whatever, it's not my job to judge you. Anyway I got your homework and even took the liberty to copy down the notes. I mean, I would hate for you to lose your perfect passing rate." She dropped the papers in his lap before turning on her heel to head to her table with the others.

"Wow, what a bitch," Nancy commented, feigning shock. He looked at her and then back at Kira before jumping up and going after her.

Standing over her table he watched her bite into her sandwich, ignoring him. "Excuse me but did I do something to piss you off because I don't get why you're being so snappy," he put as nicely as he could. The statement was basically another way of saying "why are you acting like a bitch?"

She turned to look him square in the face. "Snappy? Me, snappy? Well, I'm glad I appear that way to you because that's as close to getting to know me as you'll ever get." She returned to her food while the guys looked on.

"Uh, you might want to take this as an opportunity to leave," Conner hinted, kindly. He really didn't know what upset her but he had a feeling that the new guy was behind it. Ethan mouthed 'sorry' while Trent remained passive.

"Fine, but I'm sorry. I apologize for not being whatever you wanted me to be… Thanks for the notes. I appreciate it."

She rolled her eyes, swallowing the last of her sandwich. "Whatever."

He walked away and she turned slightly to see him recede in the distance.

"Okay, mind telling us what the whole drama-scene was for," Ethan asked playfully.

She glared at him. "Don't start. -I mean, what's his problem anyway? He acts like he's better than everyone else. He's such a jerk."

Conner grinned. "What'd you want him to be? Your knight in shining armor, princess?"

She kicked him from underneath the table. "Shut up." Looking down, she played with the ends of the bread she took off her sandwich. "He seemed so nice. I just thought he would be different, okay. I admit to judging the book by its cover, so sue me already."

"Kira, you've only known him for a day, and hardly even that. Don't you think you should give him a real chance?" Trent suggested, speaking in one of those rare occasions.

"What? So he can make me even more right? I don't think so." She refused to look at him. It felt so awkward. _We could've been happy together, and I wasn't biased then. I didn't judge you. Now I'm doing the reasonable thing. I'm protecting myself before I invest too much energy into any potential emotion I may feel for some guy. It's liable to work._ _To save me from any future heartbreak._

"Kira, what about when you met us? Before we met, we didn't even look at each other and now we're good friends. I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe you shouldn't be so eager to jump down his throat," Ethan added.

She groaned. "You're only saying that because he's a guy. If he was a girl you guys would've been all over him. Later," she said, picking her tray up and dumping her trash in the litter bin. She walked inside, wary of the hall monitor, in pursuit of her locker.

Reaching her locker, she started fiddling with her lock before she heard the steady approach of squeaky rubber soled shoes. _Marissa Andrews, who would've known?_

"Tsk, tsk, Kira Ford, this is your third detention this week and this is only the second day back from Winter break," Marissa exclaimed cheerfully as she wrote Kira off a pink slip.

"Hey, Kira wait up. Oh… You're Marissa, right?"

_Oh no. What is he doing?!_

"Hola, Mr. Myers-Hart and right, you are. You know you shouldn't walk the halls after the second bell." The sandy-haired, green-eyed bombshell informed, smiling.

"Oh… yeah. Kira was just escorting me to the clinic. I've been mighty ill."

A look of concern came on Marissa's face as he coughed for emphasis.

Kira rolled her eyes, deciding to take a hint. "Yeah, it's the height of flu season and the bug has been speedily biting people in the-" _Is she even listening to me?_

"Oh, you poor baby," Marissa cooed as he groaned. "We'll get you to the clinic right away. Kira, why didn't you get him there sooner? Come on Antonio, I'll take you."

"Uh, excuse me." Her attitude picked one hell of a time to show up. She was about to face off with the bitchiest hall monitor in the school.

Antonio could sense Kira's irritation. "Marissa, I think that's really sweet of you but don't you think it's best you stay here and finish monitoring the hallway. I would hate for a bunch of freeloaders to sneak in on account of me."

She hesitated and then groaned. "Okay, I guess I can leave you in the hands of…"

"What? Do you have a pro-"

"Thanks Marissa, you're the best," Antonio cut her off grabbing onto her jacket for support. "Oh…"

Kira and Marissa both stared at him. "Are you okay?" They asked in unison.

He held his stomach while looking faraway. "I think I'm, going to be sick."

"Oh, no you don't," Kira said hurrying off with him.

Marissa bit her lip in genuine concern while she stared after him and back at her clipboard. "This job really sucks sometimes."

She giggled softly while turning the corner, letting him go. "Wow, that was awesome. No one's ever conned Marissa Andrews out of detention. Ever!"

He smiled but his smile quickly faded. "Uh, Kira I know you want to brag and all but I'm not lying. I think I really am going to be sick."

Her jaw dropped and suddenly she felt horrible. "Oh, okay. Come on." She held his arm and guided him down the corridor to the clinic.

* * *

"Open wide," the school nurse and office assistant, Ms. Kerens directed.

"Ahh," Antonio responded as she jabbed the thermometer down his throat.

"I'll hold it for five minutes so it can warm up."

Antonio moved his hand to try and hold the thermometer but she slapped his hand away.

"I got it."

"Oha." He sat defeated with his arms by his side.

The much older lady with graying blonde hair turned to Kira. "So, how's that science teacher of yours?"

Kira snapped back to reality. "Oh, Dr. O- He's fine."

Ms. Kerens smiled. "I bet he is."

"Huhm," Antonio rasped. _WTF?_

_Oh not this time. I am not going to get forced to listen to your-_

"You know when I was younger, I used to be a model for Wilson's Beach Shop on the corner on Maynard St. Yeah, that was my heyday. Every guy was pining to have my phone number."

"Mm-hmm," Kira nodded frantically, so the other woman would not have to repeat herself.

Antonio just stared.

"You know if I were a couple years younger that Dr. Oliver would not stand a chance. Nope. He'd be all over me. Too bad I'm the sensible type. He does not know what he is miss-ing. Hmm," she huffed dreamily.

Antonio began coughing ostentatiously, having heard too much while Kira mouthed an apology.

Ms. Kerens looked at the clock and continued on. "Oh, Kira the man is just so good looking. He reminds me of my high school sweetheart Ned."

Antonio tried to still himself from either puking or laughing.

"Don't get me started on Ned Somers. That man knew how to open a package."

Antonio spit the thermometer out, before he nearly gagged. "Oh, I think I'm much better now. Thanks Ms. Kerens," with that he rushed out.

* * *

Ms. Kerens laughed, she was so silly sometimes. She walked over to the edge of the room and picked up the thermometer Antonio had just spit out and stared at it. She frowned, "102 degrees Fahrenheit?"

* * *

Kira followed smiling. "Aw, you couldn't get enough of the good ol' days, could you?"

He kept on walking straight ahead. "That woman is sick. Dr. Oliver is old enough to be her grandson."

She touched his arm and he turned around. "Hey, age is nothing but a number."

His mouth opened in shock as she waltzed right on by him. "Whoa! I did not just hear that. I did. Not. Just. Hear. That- Hey, don't tell that to a pedophile. Kira, that was just wrong." He ran after her as she headed to her locker. "Kira, my, I'm surprised. I had you pegged out all wrong."

She smirked, fidgeting with her lock. "I guess we seem to do that often."

"Hey, I like judging the book by its cover. Then I get time to learn the book inside out."

She smiled up at him. "You are the most absurd guy I've ever met."

"I take it you find that attractive," he said flirtatiously.

"No, I find it odd. Right when I think I'm just starting to get to know you, you do something that makes me second guess."

He nodded. "I have a solution for you. Don't think so hard. When you second guess, it turns out to be wrong and makes you out to be a cynical person- which by the way I have down packed. You're a sweet girl Kira with a lot of personal issues. What I think you fail to recognize is that everything isn't so cut and dried or black and white. There are shades of grey and people come in layers. Not everyone is see through. I would like to be your friend, that is if you'd let me."

She nodded and held out her hand. "I'd like that a lot."

He looked down at her hand and shook it. "Good. Then I guess we're friends."

She rolled her eyes and giggled, opening her locker. "Yeah, something like that anyway."

He snuck a peek inside her locker and saw a guitar. "You play guitar."

She glared at him playfully before shutting it. "Yeah, I do. You know peeking inside a girl's locker is call for a serious beating, by a girl that is."

He stuck his hand in his pockets, rolling his heavy eyes. "Well, I guess I should be more careful then."

"What you should say is that you won't peek anymore?"

He shrugged. "I like to live on the wild side… My sister plays guitar- acoustic. I play electric and a little bass. My older brother Marshall, now he's a bass master. Once we had our own band with my dad playing on drums. It was nothing but garage stuff though. I was seven and I could only play a sum of nine notes."

She laughed. "I bet you still sounded awesome."

"I sounded horrible. My sister and brother were rock stars compared to me but they never said anything."

"That's so sweet."

He said nothing, only scratching quickly behind his ear. "Yeah."

She stopped him. "You know I'm really sorry I yelled at you earlier. I don't know what got over me. All I know is that one second I'm fine and then I see you with Nancy and I'm all Jekyll and Ms. Hyde. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that."

He laughed softly. "It's okay, Kira. As much as I want to believe you were just jealous or really concerned, it happens to the best of us. Besides I kind of liked it. You're cure when you're angry and defensive."

She punched him in his arm. "Watch it, loverboy. I might just have to kick your ass."

The bell signaling the end of lunch period rang.

"As much as I'd really love to stay and see that, that's my cue to leave. Later Kira and remember it's called self-control." He turned and walked away, leaving her with a huge smirk on her face.

"Asshole." She began to head to her sixth period class, glancing back in his direction. _This is pretty awesome. I can make new guy friends who have nothing to do with the rangers and not be romantically involved with them. Conner owes me twenty bucks._

**

* * *

6th Period Physical Education**

"Good afternoon ladies and… well, ladies. I hope your stomach's settled cause we're going to run some laps today," Coach Hardy announced to the detriment of everyone else. "Now, run!"

They all began to take off around the tracks.

"Hey Kira, wait up," America Gonzales called.

Kira looked behind her, keeping at her steady pace. "Hi America. Can I help you?"

"Not really. I just- I saw you talking with the new guy in the hallway. You guys seem kind of close."

Kira smiled, cutting her eyes playfully. "We're friends."

America nudged Kira with her elbow, doing all that she could not to fall and land flat on her face. "You can keep telling yourself that. Almost every girl with any brains knows he's hot. Plus he's got that whole mysterious thing going on. That is so sexy."

Kira wanted to vomit. She wasn't so accepting of gossip and girly activities as other girls. She liked her privacy and not being picked to go to social gatherings like shopping or going to see the next teen movie starring poster children for A.I.D.S. (Asses in Designer Shit) awareness. So she just kept on smiling.

"Ever since you and Conner didn't work out, maybe-"

"What?" Kira came to a halt. "Did you just say? You didn't say what I think you did? Cause that wouldn't have been smart. Conner! Conner Mcknight- You thought? Ew. Just- major ew! Conner's like a brother. I would never!"

America just ran in place, shaking her head. "Girl you practically own the nile."

"I don't like Conner Mcknight!" Kira screamed in her red and yellow gym shorts. _I must look like a total idiot._

**

* * *

6th Period Calculus**

"Mr. Myers-Hart would you like to explain the trig. functions to the rest of the class who have all seemingly somehow forgot?" Mrs. Colman asked, walking around the classroom as if her baby would come at any given time.

He shook his head, swallowing down hard. He felt so dizzy. "No."

"Antonio? Are you feeling okay? You don't look too hot." Dahlia Jameson asked quietly.

"Thanks."

She nearly bolted at his response.

"I'm kidding."

"Oh. Your face looks really flushed."

"I'm probably blushing," he teased softly.

One of her waxed eyebrows raised in suspicion.

"Yeah, I'm still kidding."

A sigh of relief left her. "Stop doing that. Well, you should really think about going to the clinic. You look as if you're going to pass out."

He gave a weak smile. "Uh, no. I don't think I'm going back there anytime soon."

Suddenly the intercom came on. "Please excuse the interruption. Antonio Myers-Hart please report to the front office. Antonio Myers-Hart please report to the front office."

He exhaled slowly, getting up.

"Well, buddy you just jinxed yourself. One way or the other Kerens is all yours. Why don't you tell her hi for me," Ethan joked.

"Ethan leave him alone," Dahlia whispered, still bashful as ever.

"Well, I guess I'll be catching you guys later."

**

* * *

7th (last) Period History**

"I know you guys are raring to go home, but you have to be patient with me," Kimberly said checking the roll. She looked up for a second time before putting down her clipboard. "Uh… Where's Antonio?"

"Oh, they called him down to the office last period in Calculus. To tell you the truth he didn't look so great. I think he's probably sick," Douglass Reynolds said.

_He's sick! Probably an exaggeration. He couldn't be sick. Ant hasn't even had a cold since seventh grade. Alright, Kim calm down. No need to freak out. Just breathe. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding._

"…And you can all chew gum if you can hide it when Randall stops by. And that's it! Talk quietly and dismiss yourselves when the bell rings," Kim speedily said, rushing to her seat. Taking out her cell phone she pressed speed dial. "Bon soir, mami."

Kimberly! Bonjour Darling! How are you? I've been waiting so long to hear from you and pumpkin face. It's been two weeks.

"I know mama. I'm really scared. I think pumpkin face is sick. Ma, when's the last time Antonio has been sick?"

Hmm, Kim, Antonio has only had a mild cold and that was in the seventh grade in Iowa. He has been taking his medicine regularly?

"I don't know. He says he has. He says he does everyday. I want to believe him but mama he's so stubborn."

Oui, it's in his blood. All of you take after your father in that area.

"Yeah, and we only get our creative, inhibitive, responsible characteristics from le mademoiselle."

Oh, I did teach my little girl something after all. …Has all of Antonio's medical records and prescriptions been transferred?

"Not yet. Dr. Robeson is still in the process of setting Antonio with another specialist. It might take weeks or months before we are completely settled here in Reefside. I'm starting to think that maybe I should have took daddy's offer. I mean Antonio wouldn't be far from Columbus, so he'd be able to see all of his friends still. We wouldn't have to worry about this whole medical situation and I wouldn't have to worry about having Tommy as a colleague."

Pardon, did you just say that Thomas Oliver, that cute teenager who you dated in high school is your colleague. Ooo hoo. I should be getting grandkids soon.

"Mom!"

All of her students stared at her after her outburst, making her slightly embarrassed.

"Need I remind you he left me," she whispered hoarsely into the phone, spinning around in her chair to avoid the stares coming from her students. "Without a care in the world it seems. He didn't even leave a note saying he was leaving and I find that good reason to steer clear of him. I'm not getting my heart broken again." She pressed her ear closer to the phone at the sound of laughter. "Are you laughing at me?"

Yes, Kim I am laughing at you. Listen to yourself. Weren't you the one who had to break up with him in high school?

Kim's mouth dropped. "You're supposed to be on my side!" She quickly spun around and mouthed 'sorry' with no avail, before turning back once more to her desk. "Anyway, that's beyond different. I was in high school. He's a grown man if he wanted to break up with me all he had to do was say 'Hey, Kim I don't want to be with you anymore. Oh and by the way I'm going to leave too. That way the awkward tension won't be there _and I'm a friggin' coward!_'" Her tone happening to raise in her excitement. She was so ready to turn around and get on the laughing students. _Those nosy bastards are laughing at me._

Kim, now am I supposed to believe that it would have been that simple. We women tend to make it difficult for men.

"Oh come on mom, it's not like he was coming out of the closet." She glanced up at the clock. _Shouldn't they be gone? The school dismissal bell rang like ten minutes ago._

Perhaps, but it was still difficult decision for him to make. Don't you think? You don't obviously think he woke up one day and decided to leave you?

"Yes! Yes, I do. He didn't even bother to call to tell me he was okay or even still breathing! I had to find out from Jason that my boyfriend was not dead and in some sort of induced coma but here! In Reefside. Mami that is beyond sketchy. I still can't believe you took his side."

Honey, I haven't taken anyone's side. I just think you're overacting is all. We both know you're going to end up back in his be-

"Mom! God, keep it G rated, won't you?"

Kim this is as G as it will get. You're not over the boy and I'm going to bet that new Todd Oldham La-Z-Boy set you got that you end back up with him before the end of the school year.

"Oh, so you're betting on me now. What do I get if you lose?"

Well, I did bring your little arse into this world. That's keeping it G rated for you, dear.

Kim shook her brunette tresses into her hands. "How did this conversation get from Ant being sick to my ex? Never mind. I need to go check up on Ant. Au revoir mami."

Au revoir sweetie.

Hanging up, she stood and stretched not bothering to see if anyone had left. A loud clap reverberated through the class room before the class began laughing. She groaned and turned around, using her foot to drag her chair back to where it had once been.

"Dr. Oliver, what a surprise?" she said low in a candid way. "Why are you guys still here?"

"Oh they're here to ensure my safety. Just kidding, guys you really should get going," he told them fitting into his science teacher persona very well.

The students just sat there watching their teachers in an intrigued fashion.

"If you're not here in under five seconds I'll throw in a pop quiz with that paper tomorrow."

"What paper?" Douglass asked. "Never mind."

"Five…," he began, counting down.

"Run!"

The class stormed out, leaving him and Kimberly alone.

"You give new meaning to the 'no cell phones during class time' rule," he joshed, taking a seat on her desk.

"How much did you hear?" She asked, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

"About as much as I could from a one sided conversation. I take it you were talking about me."

She started moving to collect her things before he stopped her.

"Kim, I want to explain."

Her emotions started acting up again and she was in no mood to make herself appear weak before him. Lifting her head she faced him. "You could have done that months ago. Now I'm starting to think there may be nothing left to explained. Maybe this- your leaving was for the best. We were never in a position to get back together. I was a fool to think we would last."

"If I were a reasonable person I would accept that but I can't. Kim when we got together I had no intention of leaving you or even getting back together with you for that matter. I was already involved in something I could not simply turn my back on and there was no way in hell I was going to put you in the middle of all of it."

She held his gaze. "So you thought I couldn't handle it. I was a ranger before you and our relationship ever entered the equation, Tommy. I would have never left you."

He nodded, glancing down at her hands, so desperately wanting to hold them. "I know that and that wasn't why I left."

"Then why did you? Leave, that is. Tommy, why did you leave me? Not even that. Why'd you leave the way you did?" She couldn't hold the tears any longer. "Don't answer that. I don't want to hear anymore. You already made your decision not to include me in your life and I'm going to respect that." She gathered her things and left.

He stood there, looking up at the ceiling. A small bitter smile came onto his face. _Why do I always end up back here? Letting her walk away._ Sighing he rushed to the exit.


	5. Wanting More

**A/N: Sorry for the postponing of the story. Believe it or not I get busy. Since I always love pleasing the fans and I oh so love the reviews I figured you guys would understand. Anyways, enjoy! I hope you like it. **

* * *

"Kimberly!"

She groaned, as she inserted her key into her red Porsche sedan. "Not now. Please…"

"Kimberly Hart, aren't you going to turn and greet your colleague and partner, and did I happen to mention your-"

"Deryck!" She turned around and embraced him. "What are you doing here?"

He gave her a charming smile to match his handsome looks. Licking his lips faintly, he raked his fingers through his dark flaxen comb-over. "Well, someone forgot to mention they got accepted for the Druid excavation in England."

She shrugged, shaking her head in unbelief. "I decided to take up teaching for a while. Besides you remember high school and all those monotone lectures given by the ancient supposed sage know-it-alls."

He laughed. "No, I kind of liked my history teacher."

She gave a rueful smile. "Well, excuse all of us who didn't happen to have a genius historian as an instructor. Anyways Deryck, I didn't take you for a same sex lo-"

"Kim! Come on, now. It's okay, just get it off your chest. If you want to reveal your feelings for a certain female authoritarian, just go ahead."

She punched him playfully. "Okay, okay. Deryck, now tell me why you're really here."

He stuck his hands in his pocket and leaned against her car. "Kim, you know why I'm here."

She looked at the ground. "Do I?"

He took his hands out and walked towards her, taking her hand. "I've missed you. Things haven't been the same without you around. I should have said it sooner, but I didn't actually think you would give up your career to… teach high school students."

She rolled her eyes pulling her hand away. "Deryck, I didn't give up my career. I still dig on weekends with Parkinson's crew here and I'm even dabbling a little bit into paleontology. I see it as opening up new avenues of opportunity. And to tell you the truth, I like being settled right now."

He nodded, seemingly in thought and expressionless. "So this has nothing to do with the famous and reputable paleontologist Dr. Tommy Oliver?"

Confusion placated her hostility and she quickly put aside how he might have come across her past relationship with Tommy. "No. This has something to do with me taking care of my younger brother and still being able to have some control in my career. How dare you come here and try and say otherwise?"

He sighed. "Look Kim, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I adore-"

"Kimberly!" Tommy came running their way.

_Oh brother! _"Tommy?"

"Kim I need to-" Tommy noticed Deryck standing uncomfortably too close to her.

_This is a train wreck. Speaking of awkward tension…_ "Oh, Deryck meet Dr. Thomas Oliver. Tommy meet Deryck Ashcroft."

The two just looked at each other as if staring each other down.

"Oh on second thought, Kim, I'll just leave you and… _him_ to finish talking. I'll see you around," Tommy said drawing away literally and metaphysically.

Her eyes bugged for a minute. _He's jealous. Aww…_ Looking back at Deryck and then again at Tommy being his ever manly self, she pat Deryck on his arm. "Finish this later? Thanks." With that she began running after Tommy.

"Uh, yeah… Whatever," he turned and walked off.

She grabbed his arm. "I can't believe it. You're jealous." She couldn't help but grin.

He yanked his arm away. "Kim, I am not jealous. You can talk to whoever you want."

"Okay," she said, stopping once they approached his black jeep, unable to stop smiling.

He opened his jeep door and threw his bag in the backseat. _You idiot! Now she's going to think you don't care. You're just handing her over to that guy! Do you really want that, Tommy?_

"So I guess this means that we are officially over."

He kept his back to her for a while before facing her. "Wait a minute. I thought you said you didn't want anything to do with me."

She nibbled on her bottom lip and leaned into him, tugging on his shirt. "Are you really that gullible? What we had… I thought it was impenetrable. But if you really think I'd give up so easy, maybe you should reconsider your explanation. I mean you should just leave things the way they are and move on if you truly feel that way." She pat his rock hard stomach, feeling her insides flip, before laughing it off and then walking away. "It looks like I'm keeping my La-Z-Boy set."

Gasping, she looked down at her stomach to see large, masculine hands holding her waist. He leaned in, "Think again, beautiful."

He knew he had her right then and there but pulled away. "If you think that Deryck can give you something better- but, who are we kidding? Kimberly, I still affect you in every possible way. You're not going to get over us."

She tilted her head, challenging him. "Yes, I can. In fact I have. I can have any guy I want Tommy and be happy. I don't even need anyone else to make me happy. I can do fine by myself."

"That's one lonely road," he commented, a hint of a skeptical grin mocking her.

"Look at you Tommy, you're doing just fine. I think it just may be for the best if wonderboy stayed alone. That way he'd have no one to feel sorry for when he left them to go off and save the world!" She sighed, she had let her emotions get the better part of her again. "Yeah, Tommy who are we kidding? Every time we do this- every time we try and pick up the pieces to this relationship, it always get ruined and someone always ends up hurt. I don't want to live like that anymore. So you know what, maybe Deryck will make me happy. After all you don't care who I talk to."

"Kim," he called out, watching her leave. "Damn it, Tommy."

* * *

Getting in her car, she turned the key in the ignition blurrily. _I can't believe him! God, how can you give a person the best years of your life only to have them lie to you and pretend to not even care? _She sped out of the school's faculty parking lot as another voice chimed in, _Yeah, do as I say, not as I do. Kim, you're one hell of a hypocrite. He probably just feels guilty and feels he doesn't have a chance now that you threw his playing cards out. Kim, you know Tommy better than anyone else. You know how macho and arrogant and insecure the guy gets, even with his hero complex…_

Groaning, she slammed on her brakes in the middle of the empty street. "And now he thinks I have a thing for Deryck." She groaned even louder, letting her head hit the steering wheel. "God, Kim how stupid can you get? You're never going to salvage anything with the man at the rate you're going."

Someone honked their horn behind her causing her to snap back to reality.

"Yeah…"

* * *

Pulling up in the driveway, she spotted Antonio's bike. She jumped out, not even bothering to take out the keys. "Antonio?"

She closed the front door, throwing her coat aside. "Antonio?" She glanced around for him as she climbed the stairs. "Antonio!" Approaching his room, she slowed her pace. "Antonio?"

Laughing softly, she released the air she had been holding. "Oh, Antonio," she whispered, sitting on the edge of his bed.

He lay sound asleep under the flannel sheets and Superman comforter.

Her tranquil state made a quick exit and she balled her fist and hit him in the arm. "I can't believe you!"

He jumped out of the covers in panic. "Wha- What?"

"Marc Antonius Hart how could you scare me like that! Do you know how scared I was! You have a cell phone for a reason, you know!"

He calmed down and stared blankly at his sister. "Wow, I didn't know you were mom." He climbed back into bed, pulling the covers snuggly over him.

"You missed two classes today and it's only the second day. Ant they said you were sick."

"Kim I'm fine, it was just a headache. Now can you leave."

Kim walked over to his desk nearby and sat in his chair. "Ant, be honest with me now. Have you been taking your medicine?" She could hear him growl softly, which made her more inquisitive.

He sat up and looked over at her. "How come every time I so much as cough you guys jump on my back?"

She grew concerned as fear began tearing at her. "We care about you Antonio. Now answer the question."

He leaned his head against the bedhead, his jaw set. "I'm not a little kid anymore. I haven't been seriously ill since fifth grade. I think I deserve a break."

"What! Antonio the only reason you haven't been sick is because of the treatments and the medication." She stood, her eyes burning with tears. "Antonius, you aren't even out of the ballpark with this. The pneumonia can come back stronger than last time."

He laughed half-heartedly. "Kim, maybe I might have actually cared five years ago, but I'm letting the best years of my life pass me by all because of some illness that may or may not come back."

She edged in on him, the anger and sadness visibly fusing into an emotional time bomb. "I can't so much as even fathom where you got that stupid idea from! Antonio you could die! I will not sit and watch you go through the same torture as I did when I was eighteen! They're pills for crying out loud! You only have to take one a day…" Her anger burned out as she pleaded with him to be reasonable through her silent stare and frowning forehead.

"Alright. I'll go back to taking the medication that will prevent me from being normal," he responded defeated.

"Being normal is highly overrated, that is if there's a such thing."

"Kim this is my last year of high school and the most I can do is Brain Bowl or Computer Club. The same things I've been doing since freshman year. I'm tired of living my life as a geek. I want to play sports."

She felt his frustration in heavy rolls of anxious vibrations.

"Kim, I want my glory days too. It's not fair that I have to watch every waking second of my life be wasted sitting on the sidelines. Just let me have that chance. You of all people should be able to understand."

She nodded sadly. "Ant, I do. It's just I'd rather have you alive and well and angst then to not have you at all. All of us do. Why do you think we look out for you so much? It's not that we don't care but without you we'd hardly be anything of a family. You complete us. I hope you'll learn to accept it. I know I have," with that she backed out of the room.

Breathing softly, he pulled the permission slip from under his pillow. "I'm sorry Kim but I just can't do that."

**

* * *

Morning**

"Hey you!" A perky voice called from behind.

He turned and smiled somewhat dimly at his newly made friend. "Hey yourself." Keeping with the rest of the crowd, he moved on, unmoved by her charm.

"Well, someone's in a good mood. What's wrong? Yesterday you couldn't stop flirting, now you seem so…"

"Distant, nonchalant, how about petulant and crabby? Listen, Kira I don't need you checking up on me like I'm a baby. I already have an entourage taking care of that. You know what would be nice? A break. Yeah, a break from our friendship."

She stood there stunned as he walked away, melding with the rest of the student body. "What?"

* * *

He hurried down the hall before the first bell could ring, clumsily holding his things.

"Ah, there you are… I thought you'd never show," the pretty blonde from the day before said smoothly with a subtle undertone of flirtation.

"Yeah," he replied abruptly opening the door and switching on the light. "Sorry about that. I guess that doesn't make me the most dependable person on your list right now." Even though he could care less, he charmed her. After all good looks were only a part of the overall package.

"Actually, I pretty much figured you'd come late. That's why I took the liberty of getting you these." She handed him a bag with what seemed to be pastries. "They were freshly baked and hot twenty minutes ago. But I doubt that'll change their taste very much."

Tommy looked back at her from the pastries. "Thank you… I don't know what to say."

She smiled, pleased with his reaction. "Nothing. -Say nothing, just accept it as payback for saving me from my caffeine withdrawal."

The bell had rung, bringing them back to the reality of their jobs. "Well, that's my cue to leave."

She started to leave. "Wait!"

She stopped, turning to face him before his students had the chance to pour in in innumerous numbers.

"What's your name?"

She laughed in disbelief. "Are you telling me you forgot my name?"

"Sorry," he said trying to pull off his best puppy dog face.

"Aww, since you know how to hook a girl up with daily does of caffeine. I'll be easy on you. Ms. Terrill for now, you'll have to work your way up to a first name basis."

"Well, you know how to wound a guy's pride that's for sure."

She walked back, smiling ruefully. "Bye."

He waved, a feeling of liberty stirring in his gut. _…Am I getting over Kimberly?_

* * *

Kira always the tough outsider for the first time gave the impression of her defenses crashing. If a girl ever looked on the brink of tears at that moment it was her. Her mind swirled in weary cognitive dissonance as she fought long and hard to understand what went wrong. _Why does this always happen to me? I really liked him. I didn't even care if he just wanted to be friends. I would have settled for just that. I wouldn't have even pressed for him to be my boyfriend or anything._, she discarded to no particular being.

"Kira?"

"Oh no," she muttered to herself, closing her locker door.

"Are you okay?"

She flashed him a friendly smile and continued to walk onward to their history class. "Yeah," she lied. "What makes you ask that?"

"You just look… Sad."

She laughed in false amusement. "Me? Sad? No, but I feel tired though. I'm worried about you Trent, you're reading into me way wrong these days."

Kira took her seat in the midsection of the class and he went to his in the front on the other side of the room.

"Okay class, today we're going to go in depth with WWI. The key figures being Wilhem II, Franz Ferdinand, Gavrilo Princip…"

Kira opened up her notebook and poured her heart out onto the blank notebook paper, creating in it a new angst song. Nonetheless wasn't angst her style anyway?

* * *

3rd period

"Hey guys what's up with Kira? She seems gloomy," Trent whispered, trying to be as discreet as he could.

"Yeah, I know," Conner agreed.

"Earlier she was fine. I think it's the new kid again. I think one look at him, drives her crazy. It's like her PMSing on crack."

Conner and Ethan cracked up, causing their teacher to glare at them. Trent just looked out uncertain.

"You don't think she's still mad at me?"

"You? It's not like you two were going out or anything. I don't see why she would take out all her anger on the new guy if she was angry at you," Ethan said.

"Psch! She does it to me all the time," Conner countered.

They nodded reluctantly, at a loss to solve whatever problem that had arisen and pestered their girl friend.

* * *

Kira bore a hole through his head with her heated gaze. _I can't believe him! What an asshole! And all that shit about people being layers. I had him pegged out all along._

"Anyone care to explain the dynamics of this diagram?" Dr. Oliver asked the class, holding the clicker for the PowerPoint presentation.

Antonio raised his hand, but Kira beat him to it.

"Kira."

"It shows the host-parasite relationship between a housefly and a parasitic wasp. The host being the housefly, it's population grows rather speedily, fluctuating between near 400 and 550. Once its population levels the parasite, being the parasitic fly follows closely in number in pattern of the host population."

He nodded, satisfied. "Very good."

She took his compliment in stride, biting on the end of her yellow-gold ballpoint pen.

Antonio grinned, looking back. "Nice answer."

It seemed she'd ignore him, before she gave a void sounding thanks.

Confusion plastered his pretty guy face, turning in his seat. "Okay…" The bell sounded for them to go to the next class. Getting up he followed her out. "Hey, Kira what's up?"

She swung around and glared at him. "What do you mean what's up? Don't you know? After all you're the one who needed a break."

"Oh… that. Kira, I'm sorry I said what I said. I didn't mean any of it."

Crowds of kids passed them noisily.

"Well, it sure sounded that way when you said it," she shot back, trying her best for sarcasm.

"Kira, I was just having an off morning. I didn't mean to take my anger out on you."

She nodded, feeling his reprieve. "Yeah, you shouldn't have. Because that was really unfair."

He looked down, realizing he wasn't going to get another chance.

"I have to get to class."

Watching her leave, he stuck his hands in his pockets and turned to go to class.

* * *

Lunch

Her class emptied when she came upon her rebel brother strolling in.

"Hey baby," she kidded.

He glared at her, looking serious. "Hey ma, can I borrow the car?"

She raised her brow in suspicion. "For what reason?"

"Look, can't I just borrow the car without being suspect for something stupid and irresponsible?"

She smiled. "Maybe, but everything you've done in the past involving cars was something stupid and irresponsible."

"Whatever. I want to go to McDonalds."

She handed him her keys. "What's wrong with your bike?"

"It doesn't have a backseat or tinted windows," he told her winking.

She glared at him and he held his hands up in defense.

"Hey I was just joking around. I have to put Driver's Ed. to use sometime, right?"

She shrugged, "Just bring me back an All-American and my car with no extra surprises."

He gave her a very reassuring smile before running out to escape getting jumped by his midget of a sister.

Nancy Macintyre related to her girls the sleazy details of every obscenity and piece of gossip that took place at Reefside High but today she was in for a surprise. Patti Jacobs nearly burst with giddiness in her excitement with being the first to tell the smut of the day.

"Like you guys won't believe what I like just overheard," Patti squealed, holding her freshly done French tipped nails in front of her face as if in shock.

"What Patti?" Eliza Romst asked, ever the credulous one.

"Like Ms. Hart, like called Antonio Myers-Hart her baby. It's like she didn't even care who heard. And he goes in her room everyday during lunch, that's the reason he's like always so late like getting here."

"Shut up you whore! Why would Ms. Hart be macking on Antonio? She's like thirty. I already see wrinkles forming. Antonio can't possibly be that retarded."

"Antonio's retarded? But he seemed pretty smart to me," Eliza asked.

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Eliza just shut up."

Cassidy leaned in, Devin following her.

Just then Antonio walked out of the school and passed them to the parking lot.

Nancy looked down at her Rolex and cussed. "Damn it, the bastard's fifteen fucking minutes late. He's been screwing Ms. Hart!"

Cassidy frowned impressed. "I'm surprised she even knows how to tell time."

Eliza laughed. "Screw's such a funny word."

Patti rolled her heavily pink eyeshadowed eyes. "Told ya so."

Cassidy gasped and ran back over to the table where Ethan, Conner, Kira, and Trent were sitting. "Like you guys will like totally not believe this!"

Trent laughed quietly. "What? Nancy Macintyre got a new arm ornament? What's his name?"

Conner hit him. "Hey, do not disrespect the Nancester. The girl's hot."

Ethan laughed. "Nancester? Wow, how long did it take for you to come up with that one?"

Conner glared at him in response.

"You gotta hand it to him though, she is pretty bangin'."

"Bangin'?"" Kira mouthed, rolling her eyes and covering her face in embarrasment while scribbling in her journal and adjusting her headphones so she could tune them out.

"No, Ms. Hart is screwing with Antonio," Devin said uninterested. "So what she picks on the guy. He's too smart for his own good anyway."

"No Devin," Cassidy said pushing him, her facial expression reading 'like, duh'. "It's perfectly obvious. What I hear is that Ms. Hart _is_ screwing Antonio? See it's all about context."

Kira kept singing softly to herself whilst looking at them funnily.

"You can't possibly be serious? That's illegal. Why would you be feeding us garbage like this, Cassidy?" Trent accosted.

"What! Antonio with the hottest female teacher in the school! How?" Conner all but shouted.

She shrugged. "Well, apparently that's why he's always so late to lunch."

Ethan stared at her with his mouth hanging open. "He's my new idol."

Kira sat thanking herself that Trent didn't absorb himself in the same filth. _At least I didn't pick someone who's so vulnerable to believe something as that. Antonio with Ms. Hart, please._

Trent nodded. "I can't believe it. But I can't blame him. What guy wouldn't want to get with Ms. Hart?"

He joined with the other guys, slapp

_I spoke too soon. _Kira got up and got her things. "You guys are impossible. It's so ludicrous I can't even repeat it. Antonio's a respectable guy. He would never do something like that, especially knowing it could cost a good, _respectable_ teacher her job. Besides Ms. Hart would never agree to something like it even if Antonio did have an interest in her, which he doesn't?"

"Wow, you really believe in him," Trent stated slightly shocked. "You've only known him for about three days."

"Well, weren't you the one who told me I should give him a chance. I can't believe I'm friends with any of you. To actually believe _that_- Ugh, I can't even repeat it. And you Cassidy, you're the most talented journalist I know. The guys I can somewhat see their reasoning but to see that you'd eat up garbage like that makes me second guess my faith in all of your work. Bye."

Walking into the school she didn't really car if Marissa Andrews saw her or not, she was going to let Antonio know what everyone was saying so he could clear it up. First she was going to go to her locker and- _Nevermind, he's right there._

Antonio strutted down the hallway, shuffling about Micky Dee's in hand. Opening the door to his sister's room, he tossed her the food.

She jumped up for joy and jumped him, nearly knocking him over. "Baby brought me fries and a cheeseburger and didn't forget! Yay!" She pulled herself from off of him. "Really Ant, I owe you one."

He laughed. "That's not the first time you've said that…" He bit into his Big Mac squinting his eyes at the direction of his sister's gaze. Turning he saw Kira staring wide eyed before turning traumatized. _I can't believe I was so stupid._

Smiling at his sister, he jumped off the desk he was sitting on and jogged coolly out.

"Kira where are you going? If you wanted to talk to Kim go ahead."

Angry, she faced him. "So what? Are you two on a first name basis now?"

He looked at her in pure bafflement. "What?"

"You and Ms. Hart! The whole school practically knows Antonio! You could have tried to be a little more discreet about it all, you know!"

"Okay," he said, still not getting what she was talking about.

She looked at him exasperated. "And you're cool with this?"

He nodded. "Pretty much. I have no choice but to be."

She nodded, the dam of tears nearly breaking. She shrugged, holding her arms out, not knowing what to say or do. "Okay, as long as you're happy I am."

He nodded sympathetically. "Thanks for the gesture."

He walked back into the classroom where Kim was.

"She's cute. You like her, don't you?" Kim asked playfully.

"That was really weird." He intimated, frowning slightly as if it were a complex math problem.

"Why?" Kim queried with a mouth full, wiping her mouth with her napkin.

"I could have sworn she was on the brink of tears. But I don't know why? Man, Kim why'd you have to move us to the weirdest city on the map. I would have taken Angel Grove over this any day."

"Aww, already tired of your high school glory days?" She giggled.

He looked up at her, serious. "Not funny, Kim." _Besides I'll be living them soon enough._ He stuck his hands in his baggy pants, fingering the permission slip.


	6. Sixth Period Musings

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

**6****TH**** Period**

The lunch bell rang and he headed to his sixth period class. His heart raced in excitement at the chance to prove himself worthy. Walking in his cool, laid back stride, a grin was posted on his face and everyone more or like it seemed to notice him.

"Hey Antonio, what's happenin'?" Cassie Taylor addressed, smiling sweetly.

"S'up?" He answered, checking her out.

She laughed once, throwing her dark hair back sexily. "When you're through messing around with middle aged old ladies, give me a call." Pressing her hand into his, she lifted it, her eyes never leaving his while she wrote down her number.

His grin got bigger as he held her gaze. "I'll do that," he responded walking away. Nodding his head pleased, he walked on.

Ethan and Conner looked on with their mouths hanging.

Ethan nudged Conner hard in his gut. Conner didn't respond, still in shock. "Dude, did you see that?"

Conner shook himself out of his stupor and shrugged. "Yeah, so what. That happens to me all the time."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."

Conner nodded before realizing Ethan's tone spoke disbelief. "Hey, I'm telling the truth."

Ethan rubbed his nose, following the crowd. "I didn't say you weren't."

Looking up, Conner laughed incredulously. "Yeah, but you implied it." He shifted his backpack on his shoulder and held his books to his chest with his other arm. Facing Ethan he contested his case once more, "Bro, I'm a babe magnet. Chicks dig me."

Ethan looked around the hall and then stopped, a smile forming on his face. "Okay, I dare you to hit on Torrance Howard."

The smug look he wore on his face died when he saw who Ethan was talking about. The girl was built and short. Her light auburn hair was in a bob and she wore a huge white t-shirt that passed her waist and faded grey high-water jeans. If her glasses were any thicker, she wouldn't need them, she'd be declared blind. Conner laughed nervously. Her style wasn't what scared him most, though. The thought of losing at a dare had always driven him insane. Ethan knew it and he had him out on the edge. His superiority complex would crumble due to a five foot dwarf. "What if I don't do it?"

"Bro, don't tell me you're chickening out? You're a babe magnet, remember?"

Gathering his wits about him, he walked over. "Torrance?"

The girl turned around and glared at him. "My book is full. There are no more open spots for tutoring. Go away."

He held his hands up, signaling he held no weapon. "Uh, I just wanted to say how lovely you look today."

She closed her eyes, dropping her books. Out of nowhere she whipped out a can of pepper spray and sprayed him.

"Ahh! What the bloody hell!"

"Stalker! Stalker!"

Essentially, the entire school crowded around to see. He squirmed against the locker, screaming and rubbing frantically at his eyes.

Ethan snorted, quickly hiding it and trying to mask his glee and altogether embarrassment for his friend by rushing over.

"Ahhh!" Conner kept trying to swipe at his eyes. "It burns! It burns!"

* * *

"Man, quit rubbing at it. You'll only make it worse," Ethan reproved.

"It burns," Conner muttered in a soft, defeated tone.

"You should listen to your friend," Ms. Kerens advised.

They were now sitting in the clinic and Connor was sitting on a cot, shirt off and red eyed.

"Man, the whole school's going to think I'm stalking Torrance Howard. It's not even funny-"

"Says you," Ethan quipped.

"I'm serious Ethan. This is going to harm my rep. The school's star soccer player and captain of the best high school soccer team in the whole district is pepper sprayed by a five foot, fashionless dwarf. I can see Cassidy printing the article now."

"Now, Conner it won't be so bad. Dr. Oliver will be there to assist you in the trauma. In fact I'll make sure of it."

Conner straightened up with a terrified look on his face, same as Ethan. "Please, don't!" Conner said, rather quickly. _I can't bear anymore humiliation._

An evil smile formed on Ethan's face. "Yes, I'm sure that will help Conner out a lot in his dilemma. They are practically brothers you know."

Conner glared at him through his inflamed, blurry eyes, wanting to strangle him and do so much more to his friend turned traitor. "I'm going to-" Conner mouthed as Ethan grabbed his books and began backing out.

"Well, I'm already late enough for class as it is and Randall will soon be making her rounds- Not a pretty prospect for my future. I guess I'll be leaving."

He jumped out of Conner's grasp as the other boy began trying to grab him. He waved at him in a malicious, playful type manner on making his exit.

"That- That blue! He planned the whole thing!"

Ms. Kerens looked at him rather amused, especially in his choice of insult. "I doubt that he could manage to predict that Torrance would act in such a manner. Now tell me about you and Dr. Oliver being practically brothers."

His eyes widened in horror. "He was lying!"

"Now don't be silly, I know he's close with his students. I admire a man with that kind of faculty. You know I was once a model for Wilson's beach shop…"

_No!!! Ethan I'll get you for this! You are so dead._

* * *

Antonio walked onto the field, his nervousness spiking. Coach Hardy looked up and smiled. "Antonio Myers-Hart, you bring that activity form?"

He nodded, not even able to really get anything out.

"You look scared."

"Nerves," Antonio responded, shaking himself mentally. He was finally going to do what he wanted to do since he could remember, and get his chance at his glory days like his siblings.

"Well, don't let them stop you. You look fit enough and your recommendation proved itself helpful in my allowing you to enter so late into the season."

Antonio nodded, giddy. _I'm in!_

"Well, see you at practice, tomorrow. You'll be a fine addition to our team." With that the coach walked off.

He stood there for a moment, dazed. A huge grin came on his face and he let it hit him fully. "I'm in! I'm in!" He jumped, pumping his fists. "I'm in! Whoo!" He began running all over the field, arms outstretched.

The coach looked back, shaking his head. _At least I know he can run._

"Whoo! I'm in! I'm in! I'm on the team! Whoo!" He was jumping and shouting at random people, he then turned back to face the coach.

"Coach Hardy, I won't let you down! You will not regret the day you let me on the team!" He ran up to some girl on the track and screamed, "I'm in! I'm on the team!"

* * *

Dr. Oliver sighed and went to close his window. All the school clubs had decided to have a meeting during his class time, not like they were targeting him out specifically but he couldn't help feeling that way. He was annoyed. There were only four students left sitting in his classroom and he decided not to be cruel and not teach class.

Sitting back, reclined in his chair, he could only think of his new colleague: Kim. He smiled at the thought of being able to see her once more but that thought quickly subsided when he thought of Deryck. He grunted, causing one of the students to look up. She could not really think Deryck was the one for her. After all, the guy seemed full of himself and a real asshole. _Sounds like someone you know, doesn't it._ A dark voice called in his subconscious. He could picture the green fellow staring back at him. _You know that guy is bad news. Think of the things they've done._ Another voice entered the squall going on in his brain. _Things you know nothing of. Kim, couldn't have honestly gotten over you so soon. She loves you. _The more rational white knight called out. _But she said that before, and then she left you broken hearted with a cold 'Dear John' letter in return. _

He closed his eyes and a flash of red overwhelmed the black endlessness that should have been there. He understood the sensibility of the red ranger. It was perhaps the hardest and most independent part of his stint in ranger hood. Try trying to coax your ex-girlfriend out of an evil spell only to come up with no positive result and nearly get killed for being such an idiot.

The crimson hue was then replaced by the usual darkness. A reassuring and familiar vibe reentered his senses. _Well, win her back._

It was almost as if he were reenergized. Suddenly things didn't look so hopeless or bleak or confusing for that matter. "I do love her. And I'm going to win her back!" He brought his clenched fist down hard against the desk, the remainder of his students jumping violently. He jumped up, snatching off his glasses with a glint in his eye. "Guys, you can dismiss yourselves. I have to go win- (suddenly informing his students of his going to win back his ex who happened to be their history teacher didn't sound so great) -I have to go somewhere."


	7. And the harsher sex is

**Enjoy! _-I know, I updated early ;)_**

* * *

He left the room and as he neared her classroom he began to lose his bearings. Imagine him, a four time (and possibly more) ranger and he was afraid of facing his ex. _What could you possibly be frightened of? Stop acting like a baby._ His dark side suddenly was enthralled with winning her back and taking up that challenge she scoffed at him about. "You are so not keeping that La-Z-Boy set." He wasn't even sure what a La-Z-Boy set had to do with anything but if he was right and if he was going to win, she wouldn't need it anyway. 

He began heading down the hall with this new sensation in his heart. He opened the door outside- and then he came upon Kira crying.

She looked up from her seat and saw him, instantly recovering and getting up.

"Kira? What's wrong?" He forgot about his winning back Kimberly for a moment and walked over.

She brushed off her leggings and got her things. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"You sure? You want to talk about it?" He kept his distance to not make it seem anymore awkward.

"Yes, I'm sure and no, I don't want to talk about it." She shifted her messenger bag on her shoulder and wiped away the residual tears.

He glanced down for a second, considering if he should press her or leave her be. "Okay. I hope you feel better-"

"Wait!" She dropped her things and walked quickly to where he now stood. "What is it with boys? Why do they act so- so-"

"Strange?" He suggested.

"Yeah, that too. But I guess I was looking more for manic or geriatric."

"Geriatric?"

"Yeah!" she shouted with new enthusiasm. "They act worse than women and let me tell you, my mother is freakishly scary and to say that they act worse than _all_ women including her is a complete insult."

He laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sure it is."

She looked at him for a moment as if weighing whether or not to tell him about her boy-issues. "I guess there's no use in using the whole friend analogy," she muttered, throwing that excuse out. "Let's say there's this boy I like. Well, not boyfriend like- I'm not sure yet. But I really, _really _like him. I'm not sure how much because this other boy I liked and still kind of like, rejected me when I finally told him about my feelings for him. I was at first hostile to the other boy-"

"Hold up! Do these boys have names or titles or anything, because I think I'm starting to get lost."

"The first boy, the boy I really, really like is Boy A. The boy who rejected me is Boy B. Okay," Kira said slowly, as if talking to a child. "I've been sort of hostile to Boy A because of the way Boy B shot me down. I guess I've been scared, because Boy B is a really good friend and I really care for him. I've known Boy B a whole lot longer than Boy A, but it still doesn't affect how I feel. Now I've just found that Boy A has an interest in an older lady and has been involved with her." She'd started back up crying. "…He doesn't care that anyone knows. I really respected this older lady. And my faith in my judgment of people is completely gone. I don't know what to do, Dr. O. I've never felt so bad."

He felt compelled to hug her and tell her everything would be alright. Instead she did him the favor of not having to go that far. She hugged him and began to cry even harder.

He returned the embrace. He wasn't quite sure what to do, so he settled for a joke. "One of the boys, wouldn't happen to be Conner, now would it?"

She groaned and pushed him away. "No! Why does everyone say that?! Conner is like my brother! My annoying, overprotective, macho and athletic, dull and overreaching brother!" Her anger faded as she began to laugh. "Who happens to make me laugh and feel better when assholes like Boy A and Boy B make me feel like- Like-" She couldn't really think of anything so she made do with acting it out. She made a face and began slapping a floppy hand against her chest. "Like _wah_. There!"

Tommy chuckled some, watching her and putting his hands in his pockets. "Look at the bright side, at least you have some more teen-angst to sing about in your songs. I hear singing about personal experience makes for excellent lyricism and song-writing."

She smiled, nodding. "I know. Yet it still sucks."

He offered her one of his small smiles. "I know but things will work themselves out. I don't know if they'll get better but life will keep going. The sun will keep shining whether your heart is bruised or not."

She hit him gently on the arm, taking in what he said. "Thanks Dr. O. Well, the bell will be ringing soon and I have some pretty depressing songs to go write down." She went to go pick up her stuff and waved her hand as she kept walking, her back to him.

With a slight wave of his own, he snapped back into teacher mode. "And Kira don't make a habit of skipping class!"

* * *

A small tap rang out from her room door. She turned around to see and shook her head in a mock scold manner. "Deryck Ashcroft. I thought I wouldn't see anymore of you after yesterday." 

He laughed coming down the steps of the room. "Well, you know me. I just can't get enough of seeing you so I do the unthinkable."

"And here you are. You came just in time too. I'm on my way out."

"You don't have class?"

"Well, I can imagine one up for you, but that'd be just silly."

"Nice choice of words, but I don't think I would have minded so much." He joked as she climbed the stairs to the door.

"Me and all my imaginary students wouldn't come off as outlandish to you. Why, that's just crazy. Truly Deryck you should get that checked out."

Kim moved to lock the door with her key. He looked at her backside taking her in in manly pride and a flirty smile made its way to his face. "You know Kim, I thought about what you said yesterday, and you're right. It is your life and you won't be losing anything by exploring other options. I mean, with your teaching, looking into other academic fields of study, and working with Parkinson's crew I've come to see my shortsightedness. I wasn't giving much credit to your abilities at all, and I failed to remember how I fell for you to begin with."

She looked up at him slowly as she withdrew her key from the door. He took it as a moment to go even further.

"Kim, I admire you. You're breath-taking, and it would be improper as a colleague to say this, and maybe even as a friend, but I don't think I can go on living if you didn't know how I feel."

He quickly took her hand and held it in his as she watched unblinkingly at him, at a loss for words. "I love you."

She allowed herself to blink a couple of times to come back to reality and tried to close her gaping mouth but couldn't. Looking over, she saw Tommy's form enter her vision and could no longer breathe. She didn't know how much of it he had heard but her heart beat crazy with fear and excitement before she passed out in Deryck's arms.

Tommy swallowed and denied the impulse to run to her. Instead he turned to go back the way he came.

* * *

He walked in the Cyber Café looking around. Coming to the counter, he waited as he scoped out some of the familiar faces and a few new ones. 

"Can I help you?"

He turned and saw Kira, with her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail sitting like a small bush on top of her head. She had some smoothie on her cheek and looked pissed to see him.

He leaned against the counter and looked at one of the menus.

"Yeah…"

"Well?"

He sighed as if he were being patient with her and settling for something. "I'll have some of whatever it is that's on your cheek."

Almost instantly her hand flew to her cheek and discomfiture was written all over her face. "God, this is so embarrassing," she mumbled beneath her breath.

"I think it looks cute on you," Antonio replied with a charming smile.

"So you're back to flirting. It's almost hard to pin down which mood you're in," she countered, officially glaring at him. "You know Ms. Hart is a respectable teacher and whatever you're doing with her- which I don't want to know- The whole school assumes- Just stop before you cause her to lose her job. I really like her. I've never enjoyed history so much before I met her."

He smiled. "She does that. What do you mean stop doing what I'm doing with Ms. Hart? What am I doing?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you don't know!"

"I'm serious. What does the school know that might cause Kimberly to lose her job?"

She wanted to scream at him and just make him feel miserable but something about his concern caused her to not go through with it. She sighed, "So you really don't know?"

"Know what?" He asked. His brown eyes were inquiring and seemed a little annoyed she wasn't being forthcoming.

_God he is so clueless. Well, maybe it's just an act. I mean what he's doing isn't so candid anyway. He's probably just stalling._ She began to say something but a woman called out to her. "Wait a minute."

She was given an order which she had to prepare, taking her attention from him. A pretty red headed woman came over and smiled. "Hi, you're new around here, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Do you own this place?"

She smiled at his interest, her hair falling over her face. "In fact I do. Why? Do you like it?"

He looked around once more in his boy-mused wonder. "Yeah. It's amazing." He coughed playfully and said in a deeper and more _serious_ tone, "I mean this establishment is a very astonishing, very original and savvy investment. Mind you, that one can never do without smoothies, computers with high-speed internet, and a soundstage. Why you thought of what all the other two-timing business men of our century didn't."

Hayley said with a laugh, "And what's that?"

Kira looked back, amused while she chopped some lime.

"Class. Absolute class. A small business with the professional and personal ability to subdue its _victims_- Oh, I mean customers to keep coming and wanting to come back. Why I should have thought of that? Now, tell me Miss… (In a normal voice) Um, what is your name?"

"Hayley."

Returning to his good-natured, sleazebag businessman impersonation, "What type of musicians play here? I would like to cash in on all that raw talent."

Kira had to press the back of her hand to her pursed lips, nearly dying from holding in her laughter at his sudden change in character.

Hayley decided to entertain him by being rather creative herself. "Why, musicians like Kira Ford who's about to hit it big with her new album. (In her normal voice) Alright, I suck at this. I'm a horrible actor."

"Never fear, for you always have the safety of your business." He licked his lips and smiled almost shyly, glancing back Kira's way. She had finished the order in a timely enough fashion to see most of his joking. "Nice meeting you Hayley," he said in his regular voice, extending his hand.

Hayley shook his hand solemnly with a smile.

"And my name by the way is-"

"Antonio Myers-Hart. Kira told me all about you."

He looked at Kira once more. "I hope they were nice things."

Kira shrugged.

"Since this is your first time to my shop, how about a drink on the house?"

He nodded, happy at the sound of his receiving a complimentary drink. "Awesome! I'd love one." He once more looked Kira's way.

Hayley observed him, smiling. "So what would you like?"

He started pointing randomly at the items on the large menu behind Kira's head, before stopping at Kira's cheek. "I'd like some of that yummy stuff that was on her cheek."

Kira laughed, "A strawberry-banana smoothie it is."

Tommy had just entered the café, taking a seat at the counter. "Hey, are you okay?" Hayley asked looking at his nearly pale face.

"I don't know."

"He doesn't know," Hayley mouthed to herself while rubbing at a nonexistent stain on the glass. She hated it when he tried to brush things off that were really affecting him.

He turned to see Antonio sitting next to him. "Hey."

"Hey," Antonio muttered.

Hayley noticed the deflation in Antonio's personality. _Hmm?_

"Here." Kira handed him the smoothie, waiting for him to take a sip.

"Good stuff," Antonio complimented on tasting the drink.

Tommy looked like he wanted to say something but didn't before finally succumbing to. "Kira, I have one for you. Girls are strange-er than boys. How about this girl I knew, we went out in high school for two and a half years-"

_Uh oh. The history teacher must be Kim, after all. _"Tommy, are you sure you want to-" Hayley started. He'd never really gotten that personal with any of the rangers before.

"-And then she goes to Florida, to this competition because it was always one of her dreams. And knowing that one word from you, she'd stay, you say nothing because it's been a dream of hers since she was like 5. So she goes and you're even still communicating by phone and letters- Ha ha, letters. You think everything's fine and dandy. Of course with the way she's making out with you at Christmas it's gotta be fine-"

"Oh god, Tommy don't do this to yourself," Hayley pleaded.

"Then. One day you get this letter in the mail. But you don't get it sent to your house, it's sent to the youth center where you and your girlfriend's friends hang out. The letter turns out to be a 'Dear John' letter. Kira, do you know of any guys that have done that or would do that? Are there any 'Dear Sue' letters?"

She shook her head hesitantly, suddenly feeling sympathetic for Dr. Oliver. "Wow, Dr. O that happened to you? How awful."

"Bummer," Antonio replied getting up. "Must have sucked for you."

Kira bit her lip, trying to refrain from making any comment. _I guess his bad mood came back._

"I have to go, but I enjoyed the smoothie. Thanks," with that he left. They all watched him leave before Tommy decided to continue.

"The story's not over." He sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair. "Before I came to Reefside, I forgave her and we became a couple again. We were fine. Beyond fine, I could have sworn we were happy. Then, I left her." He avoided her gaze as he stared on massaging his neck.

Kira, stood waiting for an explanation. "What? You left her. Dr. O, please tell me there's more to this story."

He nodded. "There is, but- it's complicated."

Kira crossed her arms. "How so? Dr. O, you're just like the boys I was talking about."

"What boys?" Hayley, and now presently Ethan, and Trent asked in unison.

She ignored them. "How could you leave her?"

He shifted around uncomfortably. Remembering where he was and afraid someone might here, he began to alter the story. "I have this friend who works in the military-"

"Don't go changing the subject-" Kira started.

Tommy raised his hands in defense. "I'm not."

"This friend that I have happened to have been in this explosion and after the explosion lost some things _really_ valuable. This _girl_ he knew kindly let him stay at her place while he began relocating the valuable _things_. Therefore, he was already working on something extremely important and their relationship kind of got in the way. He didn't want to drag her into the mess he basically helped to create. He didn't want to see her get hurt. He didn't want anything to happen to her."

"Oh," Kira managed to say, starting to understand what he meant.

"Don't get me wrong she was a very smart girl, capable of holding her own. However when you lose someone and find them again, you get kind of selfish. You have to understand that he really loved the girl and really cared about her."

"You want to clarify on what you mean by left? I mean tell them the part about where that friend just up and left in the middle of the week leaving behind no contact number, no contact address or _letter_ or anything to indicate where he went, why he went, that he was still alive, that he might have still cared for her or anything of the like." She was angry at him, yes, but only a little. Of course she wasn't as angry as she was when she found he had went behind her back and reconciled with Kim, and then left her. No, now she was just poking fun and being a little mean.

"What? Dr. O that's even worse! That's outright cold!" Kira was becoming passionate about the matter. "What's the number of this girl? We can have an all right men-haters club at the rate you're going. I can't believe you- your friend could do such a thing," she corrected remembering where she was as two kids from school pulled up to the counter and began chatting.

"He left the way he did because she would have followed him, gotten herself into the mess, and proved his whole point of leaving her pointless. She would have wanted to get involved."

"I was involved!" Kira shouted.

Trent, and the others just looked on while the two kids turned and looked at her funnily.

"She could have gotten killed."

"Do I look dead to you? Angry, yes. Dead, no. Dr. O that's no excuse for you- for your friend to leave someone they claim to care about. Especially, if you love that person. That's a horrible way to leave a person. She was probably hysterical."

He was quiet for a while. "I couldn't risk… My friend had an enemy who would do anything to hurt him. He couldn't risk someone he loved getting caught in the crossfire without any means of protection. He loved her too much."

"But still…" She was still as defiant as ever.

"What if the friend said he had a nightmare of this person getting hurt really badly, and that his dreams had a tendency of coming true?"

"Then I'd say that your friend's nightmare came true anyway," Trent finally stated.

They were all quiet at his revelation.

"So what's the girl's name?" Ethan asked, quietly.

"Her name's Kim. I'm afraid you all know her. She's your history teacher," he confessed, biting on his thumb.

* * *

All of their eyes must have been bugging. 

"Dr. O, Ms. Hart! Are you serious?" Kira shouted.

The two kids who pulled up stared at them, before getting up and moving someplace else.

Hayley quickly covered Kira's mouth, while Tommy sat looking defeated on his stool.

"Well, did she ever find out the truth?" Trent asked, flopping down on one of the empty stools beside Tommy, shocked by the news.

"She knows a little of it."

"So you haven't told her the whole truth?" Ethan corrected, in expectation.

"That's the problem. I don't think she wants to hear. I mean I have a good case to contend but she does also." He sighed, raking his fingers once more through his head. "I think she's moving on."

"Then stop her!" Hayley reprimanded. "Do you know what I heard all throughout college? 'Kimberly left me, I can't move on.'" She mock whined for emphasis. "By the time Tommy came to college he couldn't get past date number 2 with a girl. He got to the point where he just became, eh…" She nodded her head in his direction.

"Hey, it wasn't like I couldn't move on. After Kat and going into college it got hard."

"And that's his excuse," Hayley muttered.

"Who's Kat? Did you just leave her too?" Kira asked haughtily.

"No, I didn't. Kat was a good friend who helped me through me and Kim's break up and who I happened to date for the rest of my high school years."

"Did you love her?"

They all stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Not really. …She was a good friend who happened to have a crush on me and ended up getting taken along for a rebound trip."

"Does she hate you? I know I would."

He laughed dryly at her response. "No, our break up was a mutual agreement. She was kind of disappointed though. I was too, to tell the truth."

"Why did Kim break up with you? Was it for being a jerk?" Kira shot.

Hayley did all she could to keep from laughing at Kira's newfound hostility.

"You know I'm going to go all Alanis Morissette and get Ms. Hart to give me the details for a whole new catalog of songs all dedicated to how much we hate men."

"Whoa!" Ethan backed up. "Kira, you know I've always been a good friend to you, right? You won't write about me, will you?"

Tommy ignored him. "Couldn't really blame you, but it was Kim who sent _me_ the 'Dear John' letter telling me how she found another guy and how she thought of me as a brother and how she wanted to be just friends. I was traumatized for a while to think that with all the things we did, her considering me something like that spoke volumes of incest on her behalf."

"TMI, Dr. O. Wait, really? She called you a brother," Ethan asked, beginning to feel sorry for Tommy as well. "Damn."

"Really." He answered blatantly.

"Well, at least you got a letter," Kira retorted.

"Hate to say it, but she's right Tommy," Hayley finished, moving to go tend to a customer.

Trent shook his head. "No, I don't think so. She never gave you an explanation after you got back together either."

Tommy shook his head. "I let it go. I wanted to forget it ever happened."

Trent shook his head again, looking at his teacher and mentor with a brand new sort of admiration. "Wow, I don't know if I would have been able to handle something like that." He pat Tommy on the arm and got up. "Well, I have to go. See you tomorrow Dr. Oliver."

"Bye Trent." He looked up and saw Kira roll her eyes at him.

"I still say boys are far worse."


	8. Unwanted Others

**I'm doing good aren't I. I've updated. Yay! Even though Failure to launch came out in 2006, I've kind of altered the setting and made it fit into the 2005 time frame. Just thought I'd let you guys know. Enjoy!**

**_... Hey, I'm back from the dead! Well, I know it's been a while, but I've been sort of contemplating continuing this story. However, I'm not sure if I should. I don't want to write if no one will read. At least 5 responses will do. - Anyway, advice is still appreciated. Happy really early new year as well- that is if this gesture fails and I can't say it later. Ciao!_**

**

* * *

**

Antonio closed the door behind him, kicking off his shoes no where particular. The house was still dark which meant Kim wasn't home yet and that he'd have to fend for some food on his own. He went into the kitchen and grabbed an oversized bag of potato chips, flipping on the light and grabbing a IBC from the pantry. Heading back to the den, he looked at the clock on the DVD player reading that it was close to seven. _Where is she? Doesn't she realize she has a person to feed…_ He glanced back at a back room where clothes were overflowing. _And clothes to wash._ He grinned. Life with his sister was so easy. He could practically get away with anything. Practically. He was a Hart so he had to be smooth in most cases because his sister was also a Hart. In fact no one in his family quite denied that they got their sly, devious ways from their father. After all their father was some high ranking government official.

He felt for the remote not bothering to get up, pulling it from out of the sofa. _Ha ha! Kim hasn't found you after all. _He kissed the remote and turned on the TV. At almost the same time, as if on cue, the door opened. Jumping up, he put the remote where he'd found it, an innocent look plastered on his face. Expecting Kim, a man came in instead. Antonio raised a brow.

"Who are you?" He popped another potato chip in his mouth never letting the man out of his sight.

The guy looked around and the same wary look came on his face as well. "I should be asking you the same question." He finished backing in, bringing a wheelchair along with him.

"Kim!" Antonio rushed over, shoving the guy out the way.

Kim smiled and gave him a limp wave, before going back to sleep.

"What's wrong with her? What'd you do to my sister!"

Deryck looked at the kid and everything began to register. "Oh, you're Kim's little brother. I've heard so much about you little man."

Antonio had a fierce look in his eyes, clenching his fist and grinding his teeth. "I will not ask you again. What. Did. You. Do. To. Kim?"

"Oh! Kim, she passed out. We were talking one minute and she was all linoleum floor the next. Does she usually do that? Because the doctor made it seem as though she did. I've known Kim for five years and not once did she ever-"

"She passed out? If she passed out then why does it look like she's high," Antonio cut off sharply.

Deryck and Antonio averted their gazes back to sleeping Kimberly.

"That can be explained. Apparently the doctor made a mistake and thought she was another patient who was supposed to go in for surgery and ended up giving her a mask connected to a tank of nitrous oxide."

"You mean relative analgesia -laughing gas?"

"Hey, you're pretty smart."

Antonio ignored him and looked thoughtful for a minute, before gazing at the other guy in suspicion. "Don't they normally give anesthetics while the patient is in surgery and not before. And why would the doctor be administering it?"

"You're telling me. I had to figure out what they were doing the whole time and why Kim wouldn't stop giggling. I didn't know half of what she was talking about. Then when your sister wouldn't stop babbling they gave her a sort of sedative or tranquilizer and she went to sleep."

"Which one? Did they give her a sedative or a tranquilizer?"

Deryck shrugged. "Beats me. Is her dad going to pop out as well, cause this game of 21 questions is kind of tiresome." He gave an exaggerated yawn, not bothering to conceal his annoyance with the younger guy.

Antonio continued to watch him before going to take Kim out of the wheelchair.

"And let me guess the wheelchair was a complimentary housewarming present along with the sedative and RA? Well, weren't they thoughtful," Antonio grunted, picking up his sister and carrying her off to her room.

"Wow, sis. Those protein shakes are really starting to wear off." He kidded lightly, thinking she was still sleep.

When he got up the stairs, Kim hopped out of his arms, landing gracefully and soundlessly on the carpet. He nearly yelled but she clasped her hand over his mouth, signaling for him to be quiet. Only when she had him in her room did she allow him to talk.

"Kim, what the hell! I thought you were, you know," he shouted at her in a level close to a whisper.

"I was, but it wore off. Listen, don't tell him about me. Just let him do whatever until he decides to leave, and make it quick."

"Kim, who is this guy?" Antonio whispered, sitting on her bed.

"His name is Deryck Ashcroft. We used to work together. I let him take me out on one date and now I can't get rid of him. Don't get me wrong he's really sweet and all but…" Kim trailed off, sucking on her teeth. "Just get him out. I can't take anymore awkwardness."

A mischievous grin came on Antonio's face as an idea popped into his head. "Okay. Just get your rest and let your little bro take care of it."

"Alright. Oh and here's some money for a pizza. Order it from Mike's 'kay," Kim hurried as she plopped on her bed and took off her shoes, awaiting to hear a car pull off.

* * *

Antonio came into the den with an ice cold beer for Deryck.

"Yeah, sorry man about the hostility and all. It's just I've seen worse with Kim and I'd hate to have not taken all the necessary precautions in case you were an _asshole_."

Deryck nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his beer. "I don't blame you. I've been there. I have a sister too."

"What's her name?" Antonio asked turning down the TV.

"Andrea." Deryck fished out his wallet to show Ant a picture. "She'll be nineteen next month."

Antonio took the picture and laughed.

"What?"

"I could have sworn I saw that same girl in Dr. Spankypant's Cyclops' Eye. Damn, she was hot. Especially when she did that-"

"Enough! Are you trying to say my sister's a porn star?" Deryck had gotten defensive.

Antonio shrugged, and pat him on the arm sympathetically. "Sorry, man. But honestly your sister's hot! I'd even show you the tape but it's at my pop's house and it'd be a little awkward calling him in the middle of the night to ship out a porno." Antonio had began eating his chips again, taking his cell phone out of his pantleg pocket.

Deryck rubbed his face looking horrified, biting on his fist. "She told me she was interning at Bill's law firm in Paraguay. How could I have been so stupid? This whole time she's been using that as a cover to make dirty movies?" He was pretty much talking to himself at this point.

Antonio placed his order and hit end, shaking his head. "Andrea's a cute name though." Antonio laughed again. "Hey, if you and my sister ever hook up, feel free to give Andrea my number."

"Shut up!" Deryck's face was red. "I need another beer." He got up to head to the fridge before getting blocked by Antonio.

"I'm sorry man but you can't spend the night. Kim needs all the rest she can get for class tomorrow. I'm afraid your whole self-bashing big brother ritual has to head out. Not to mention I have class tomorrow. You wouldn't want to leave a bad impression on Kim. I mean, with looking after her today. It'd be a shock to her to see you drunk on her couch. It may even cause her to shun you."

Deryck nodded. He was so disgruntled. "You're right," he muttered unsure, before repeating it more certain, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I'll just give Andrea a call and we'll talk it over. I'll be cool about it and we'll find a way to discontinue the tapes she's appeared in." He smiled, feeling a whole lot better. "Now we're safe and dad won't take us out of the will."

Antonio raised a brow at this and went to open the door. "Well, the sooner, the better, right?"

Deryck walked over halfway before remembering Kim. "Kim. I need to say goodbye to Kim-"

"Oh no you don't." Antonio grabbed Deryck by the arms and began to shove him out the door. "Don't worry. I'll tell her everything when she wakes up. Bye." He said hastily in a falsely bright tone before slamming the door in Deryck's face.

He returned to his seat, forgetting what just happened and turning up the volume to the television.

Kim's footsteps came skipping in a giddy like manner, signaling for him to hide the remote.

"Thanks Ant." She jumped on the couch elbowing him in the stomach.

"Ah!" He called out in pain.

"That's for lying about his sister. I heard the whole thing. He must be devastated."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted me to get rid of him. So don't blame me." A devilish grin appeared on his face. "Besides, who said I was lying?"

Kim opened her mouth and then quickly closed it, turning to the flat screen.

"Wrestling, again? Antonio did you find the remote yet?"

He shook his head, munching away. "No, Kim you were the one who had it last."

She sighed, getting up when she heard the doorbell.

"Here's the money," Antonio called, eyes glued to the tube as he free threw the crumpled twenty, recently crumpled on his account

* * *

**The Next Morning**

Kim came down the stairs groggily. _Ugh, who could be pounding like a complete ass on our door at this time in the morning. It's only 3:00._ Kim opened the door to a very, very pissed Deryck Ashcroft.

She instantly woke up, her hand flying to her hair. "Deryck? Hi. What's up?"

"Your brother! That's what's up! That little- Argh! Where is he?"

Kim bit on her index finger, keeping herself from laughing as a light bulb flashed in her head as to what would have gotten him so mad. She shifted carefully between him and the door.

"He's sleeping. What is this about Deryck? It's three in the morning."

A look of embarrassment quickly came over him as he tried to avoid her gaze. "Nothing. -You should know your brother lies. He lies horrible lies."

Kim scoffed, allowing for a soft giggle. "Deryck, I know my brother lies. He's very good at it. Try playing bullshit, poker, or any other bluffing game with him. What'd he lie to you about?" She was very delicate. It was like she'd done it so much, she'd become a pro at it.

"He- He- He called my sister a porn star."

Kim burst out laughing as if it were the first time she'd heard it. "He what? And you believed him?"

Deryck was blushing heavily in the dark indigo of the morning. "He was specific. He seemed-"

"Like he knew what he was talking about. That's Ant for you. His face is just so cute that you can't think he'd ever say anything so awful, and so you end up going along with him, only to be made an utter and complete ridiculous fool in the end."

He swallowed and then answered, "Yeah. I can't believe I let him get to me. Try trying to explain to your sister in another country why you're calling her in the middle of the night asking if she'd ever starred in a porn flick. She was so furious. She hung up on me right then and there. I'll be lucky if she ever talks to me again."

He inhaled, taking in the morning dew air before chuckling sardonically. "Wow, I let a seventeen year old con me into thinking my own sister was a…" He didn't even finish the statement, he just laughed at his stupidity.

Kim gave him a friendly smile. "At least she wasn't actually a porn star. You have that much to be thankful for."

He looked at her and agreed. "Yeah, and at least I know to watch out for your brother and his fibs," he added, taking her hand.

_Awkward, awkward, awkward._ Kim continued smiling making it seem as though the nitrous oxide hadn't quite worn off. "Um, yeah, that's good. You know Deryck, maybe we should talk later. I kind of got to get… Yeah," she rambled, stepping back and going to close the door.

He returned her smile, though his was, of course, more genuine. "Okay then. How about lunch?"

"Sure." _No!_

She could tell he was excited. He was glowing even. Leaning forward he planted a kiss on her cheek. "Then lunch it is," he breathed, huskily in her ear.

"Okay," she squeaked, closing the door slowly.

She stood there for a second at a loss for what to do. Sighing, she fainted once more

* * *

Antonio came through the adjoining den, dressed and ready as he approached the kitchen table.

"You okay? You look as though you've seen a ghost," he stated, simultaneously grabbing some fruit and sticking some bread in the toaster.

"I wish," Kim said sulkily, taking a sip from her coffee. Then she turned on him, hitting him. "Why couldn't you make him angrier? Why couldn't you find something that would have devastated him without him being able to check it out?"

"Whoa! Kim, I thought you didn't want him to be devastated."

"It didn't stop you the first time!" She yelled, exasperated. "For once in your life can you be a brat when I need you to be a brat. Antonio, the guy said he loves me!"

"Is this a female thing? Cause if so I can leave-"

"Nuh-uh," she responded, grabbing onto his sleeve. "I'm having lunch with him today because of you."

"Then tell him you can't make it."

She sat back down, deflated. "I can't. I don't want to hurt his feelings. I couldn't bear it if he cried."

"Wait, the guy cries. He looks as though he could bench-press at least-"

"Yes! The one date we went out on, he took me square dancing in Okinawa and I accidentally elbowed him in the nose and he burst into tears."

Antonio stopped to think and then shrugged, taking his new jam smothered piece of toast and biting into it.

"But Kim you hit like a man."

"No, Ant. Ugh! Okay, that same night he called his mother and told him what I did and completely made it look like it was my fault I hit him and not his bad foot-eye coordination. The guy dances like a duck," Kim contended.

"He called his mom to tattle on you?" Antonio repeated in disbelief, nearly spitting his toast out. "Kim, you can't be serious."

Kim nodded wildly. "I am. You know that movie with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey? What's it name? Failure to Launch."

"Yeah, that's the one with the guy who's like thirty-something still living with his parents- Man, Kim that's the life to live."

She hit him. "No, that isn't. Not if you want to get laid. Antonio, repeat after me. 'If I'm going to get a girlfriend. I need to be self-sufficient and rich.'"

He scoffed. "No… Tripp didn't have to."

Kim rolled her eyes. "It's a movie! Tripp doesn't exist!"

"I'm telling mom," he kidded, laughing gutturally as he drank his orange juice.

"Antonio, I swear I'll-"

"Back to the story. I want to hear the rest of it."

Kim sighed, gripping the side of the table. "He told me he thought we should have sex because his mom wanted him to have grandkids."

Antonio couldn't hold his laughter in any longer, grabbing his sides.

Kim was embittered on thinking about that night.

"What'd you tell him?"

"I snatched the phone from him and told his mother that she was being a manipulative and stubborn control freak by allowing her son to think that it was perfectly normal to tattle to her and to use her as a crutch, and then I turned to him and called him an ass."

Ant tried to regain his composure, wiping a stray tear from his eye. "Kim, that's classic."

"Tell me about it. However, it did seem to work because after not talking to me and avoiding me for nearly three months, he came and apologized. He seemed to have really taken my ranting to heart."

Antonio calmed some. "Looks like it too. Was that a Ferrari spider I saw last night? That was sweet. Kim?"

"What?"

"You know what I want for my birthday?"

"Me!" Kim shouted jumping up and giving him a hug. "Aw wittle wumpkin face wants his big sister. Yes, he does. Who, wes he does." She'd started making baby noises and squeezing his cheeks.

He pushed her off of him, wary of the evil glint in her eye. "That is not fair. Marshall got an Aston Martin and Kim dad basically took you on a four thousand dollar shopping spree in Paris!"

"He did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too! Mom, nearly fainted when she saw the bill."

Kim smirked. "Maybe she nearly fainted at how little I spent with all the bargains I found."

He quieted. He wouldn't dare challenge her shopping skills. She'd found him a signature Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Stratocaster fender on eBay for twenty dollars. Of course, when his father found out he took it and added it to his 'collection'.

"Ant daddy didn't give me a shopping spree… Grandpa did. But that's only because I'm his favorite."

Ant frowned. "That's not true! I am. He even put the Plymouth in my name."

Kim looked down, uneasy. "Antonio, he sold that."

"What! How come no one told me about this?"

He looked on the brink of tears. "I loved that car," he choked.

Kim tilted her head in commiseration. "I'm sorry," she told him softly, as she backed out the front door. "Not! Ha ha!"

Antonio growled, going after her. She was faster and had gotten in her car and was backing out.

Getting on his motorcycle, he revved up, sliding down his helmet. "Kim, you're going to pay."

While driving down the empty road surrounded by country, she let down her window, glancing back playfully. "He didn't even sell it you loser! It's still in the garage. That's what you get you little liar!"

He responded by racing past her, doing a little trick with his legs and then flipping her off.

"How manly," Kim commented.

* * *

Tommy sat at his computer typing in grades when the pretty blonde showed up.

"Ah, I see you're here. Half-expected you to be a bumbling mess, racing to get to your door before Randall caught you three minutes before the bell rang."

He stuck the end of his pen in his mouth as he watched her, before flicking it aside and reclining in his chair. "Hate to disappoint you."

Her smile turned into a flirty smirk as she walked to the coffee pot. "Actually you made my day- or to be politically correct, my morning. Hmm," she breathed, before taking a sip from her cup.

He picked up his pen again and began tapping at his desk as he stared at nothing in particular, reveling. "So what's your first name, Ms. Terrill?"

She looked up at the ceiling wondering if she should spoil the mystery. "Why don't you guess?"

He nodded. "Okay… Barbara?"

She made a gagging noise. "Thank god it's not. I hate the nickname Barb, it sounds too much like Bob. It just sounds… too professional. Keep going."

"Lillith?"

She laughed again, shaking her head.

"Sandy?"

She nearly choked again. "You mean like the squirrel on Spongebob Squarepants? No."

"Hmm." He stuck the end of his pen back into his mouth, thinking as he reclined.

"Deborah?"

"Please, you're making me sound like an old person."

"Tammy?"

She bobbed her head side to side, signaling he was getting better, and that she moderately liked the name.

"Susie?"

"Like Susie Q? No."

Just then Kim walked by and he remembered his reason for waking up early.

"Kim!"

"No!" She replied, imitating his vigor in expression.

He got up and then turned to her. "Um, sorry I have to go. Can we finish this some other time?"

"Okay," she accepted, the disappointment evident in her voice. "How about lunch?" She asked hopeful.

"Lunch," he agreed, his eyes glancing behind her, eager to go find his ex. With that he gently made his way past her, running down the hall in pursuit of Kimberly.

* * *

She took hold of her room's doorknob, inserting the key when she heard Tommy screaming her name. Unsure of what to do, her brain went into flight mode and she ran to the nearest bathroom.

She rushed in and gently held the door shut, not bothering to see if she'd come into the right bathroom.

Someone behind her cleared their voice and she looked around apprehensively to see one of her colleagues.

"Hi, Ms. Hart."

"Hi, Mr. Mathers," she replied, clearly mortified.

"You're in the wrong bathroom Ms. Hart." He continued in the same monotonic rhythm.

Holding her hand to her face, she blushed, turning from him and the other two guys in the restroom using the urinals. "Yeah, I think I've now figured that."

The two guys doing their business even bothered to shout out their greetings.

He finished washing his hands and went to open the door for her so she wouldn't have to let down her hand.

"There you go, Ms. Hart. Have a nice day, Ms. Hart," he finished, opening the door for her and leaving.

Horrified, she instantly ran into the bathroom across from it. Once inside she burst out into nervous laughter, blushing even harder.

Kira came from out of the bathroom stall when she saw Ms. Hart laughing.

"Ms. Hart?"

Kim looked at the girl and continued to crack up. "I- I just came from out of the Men's Room. I went into the wrong restroom."

Kira smiled, uncomfortably. Sure, it was pretty funny. _I guess I had to have been there._

"So, Kira what are you doing here so early?"

"Oh, I had to take a make-up test in Mrs. Washington's class."

"Oh." Kim seemed satisfied with her answer, and began waiting, looking at the white, gray , and maroon tile wall.

Kira went to the sink to wash her hands. Looking into the mirror as she lathered some soap onto her hands, she saw Ms. Hart and thought about the day before. Grabbing some paper towels she dried her hands in a clockwise motion before discarding it, never taking her eyes off her history teacher.

Kim finally looked up and noticed this, her face inquisitive.

"Ms. Hart, how would it sound if you sponsored a Men-Haters Club here at the school?"

* * *

Approaching her room he saw that the door was still locked and the lights out. _Where'd she go?_

Mr. Mathers, the latin teacher, walked past him.

Thinking for a moment, Tommy backtracked and caught up with Mr. Mathers. "Hey, Tim. Did you happen to see Ms. Hart around here?"

Tim gave a signature discolored tooth smile. "In fact I have, Tom. I bumped into her in the bathroom, Tom. She seemed to be running from something, if you ask me, Tom. However, I let her out and went about my way, Tom. Have a nice day, Tom," Tim said in the same monotonic rhythm as he has with Kim. Having said all he knew he resumed going where he was going.

Tommy nearly grinned. He was deep in thought, bits of schemes coming in place and hanging in his brain. If anyone were close enough they might have seen a flare of green flash in his eyes. _She's hiding from me which can only mean one thing- She can't bare to be around me. That in turn means I affect her. Therefore, she must still have feelings for me. _"Oh, Kim I'll give you a reason to run."

He gave a soft, deep maniacal laugh, rubbing his hands together. "Kimberly, you're mine."


End file.
